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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒

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After letting out a small groan, Primrose forced herself to her feet along with Peter and Rocket. The three of them didn't waste a moment before they started looking around. To Primrose's surprise, the hole they made was pretty deep. However, not deep enough for them to get to where they need to be. Her eyes scanned over her surroundings one last time before discovering that all attention was on her. Primrose just stared at Peter and Rocket until she realized they were waiting for her to speak.

"The metal's too thick," the Quill woman announced right as Rocket went back to looking around the cavern, "for our plan to work, we'd actually need to place the explosive on Ego's core."

"And our fat butts ain't gonna fit through those tiny holes," the raccoon added after looking over all the small shining holes that surrounded them. It wasn't long after Rocket finished speaking when Primrose noticed Peter looking down at something. She soon followed his gaze to find Groot staring off into space and playing with a leaf on his arm. Rocket didn't hesitate to look over at the small creature before his attention turned back to the Quill siblings. "That's a terrible idea."

"Which is the only kind of idea we have left," Peter declared, earning a groan from Rocket before the latter grabbed Groot and walked further into the tunnel. After watching the raccoon for a moment longer, the Quill man turned his attention to his sister. "Stay with him and help Groot. I'll make sure all of the Sovereign stay away from here."

"Don't you think Rocket can handle talking to Groot?" Primrose retaliated as she stared out at all the Sovereign ships before looking back at her brother, "I think you're gonna need the help."

Their conversation was interrupted by Rocket's complaints as he continued to walk into the tunnel. The Quill siblings just stared at him for a moment before Peter turned his attention back toward Primrose. "I think he's gonna need your help more than I will."

The Quill woman hesitated as she looked between the attacking Sovereign and the angry raccoon. It wasn't long after that when she let out a sigh and looked up at her brother. "Fine, I'll help Rocket. But you better call me if your *ss is in trouble."

After sharing a quick hug, Primrose watched as Peter jumped out of the hole and into action. The Quill woman watched her brother for a moment longer before walking further into the tunnel to help Rocket. When she reached them, she found the raccoon sitting on the ground with his device in front of him. Groot was simply watching the creature in front of him with wide blank eyes, making a knot form in the pit of Primrose's stomach.

"Alright, first you flick this switch, then this switch. That activates it," Rocket instructed while pointing to the small levers. After moving the device closer to Groot, the raccoon pointed to one of the red buttons. "Then you push this button, which will give you five minutes to get out of there." Then Rocket pointed to the red button next to it as the tone of his voice became more serious. "Now, whatever you do, don't push this button because that will set off the bomb immediately and we'll all be dead."

"Why is that even a button?" Primrose questioned, only for Rocket to look up at her with a smirk on his face.

"Dramatic effect," was all the raccoon said in response before turning his attention back to Groot, "now, repeat back what I just said."

"I am Groot."

"Uh-huh."

"I am Groot."

"That's right."

"I am Groot," Groot said while pointing to the button Rocket told him not to push.

"No! No, that's the button that will kill everyone!" Rocket exclaimed while Primrose cringed, suddenly becoming less convinced that they were going to make it out of there alive, "try again."

"I am Groot."

"Mm-hm."

"I am Groot."

"Uh-huh."

"I am Groot," Groot said, once again pointing to the wrong button.

"No! That's exactly what you just said! How is that even possible?! Which is the button you're supposed to push? Point to it," Rocket told Groot, who did as he was told and pointed to one of the red buttons, "no!"

"You need to relax, Rocket," Primrose said, drawing the raccoon's attention toward her before she sent him a sheepish smile, "you're making him nervous."

Rocket just glared at her for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "Whatever. Do you have any tape? I wanna cover the death button."

"Who brings tape to a fight?" the Quill woman responded, earning another annoyed look from the raccoon.

It wasn't long after that when the sound of Peter's voice drew their attention to a hole directly above them, where the Quill man could just barely be seen. "How's it going in there?"

"Terrible! Now get me some tape!" Rocket shouted without even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice, "does anybody have any tape out there? I wanna put some tape over the death button."

"I don't have any tape. Let me check," the redheaded man responded before putting his mask back on and flying out of sight. Primrose and Rocket didn't say a word as they sat there listening to Peter ask everyone for tape. If they were in any other situation, the Quill woman would've laughed at everyone's responses to her brother's question. But the feeling of impending doom sucked the joy right out of her. It wasn't long before Peter reappeared above them with a somewhat defeated look on his face. "Nobody has any tape."

"Not a single person has tape?" Rocket responded with a hint of skepticism in his voice, earning a shake of the head from the Quill man, "did you ask Nebula?"

Peter hesitated for a moment as his eyes flashed over to Primrose before looking back at Rocket. "Yes."

"Are you sure?" the raccoon asked, only for the redheaded man to let out an irritated sigh.

"I asked Yondu and she was sitting next to him!"

"I knew you were lying!"

"You have priceless batteries and an atomic bomb in your bag," Primrose stated, drawing both of their attention to her, "if anybody's gonna have tape, it's you."

"That's exactly my point!" Rocket exclaimed, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice as he looked between the Quill siblings, "I have to do everything!"

"You are wasting a lot of time here!" Peter shouted before leaving to face more of the oncoming Sovereign.

After watching him leave, Primrose and Rocket turned their attention back to Groot, only to find him running down a small tunnel with the device in his hands. The two of them watched as he jumped down another tunnel before they heard his joyful shouting. Neither of them said a word as they just stared at where Groot disappeared before they looked over at each other.

"We're all gonna die," Rocket muttered under his breath, and Primrose couldn't help but agree.

After letting out a long sigh, the Quill woman got to her feet and walked toward the only exit of the core. But what she saw next made her blood run cold. Yondu just barely managed to stop his ship from spinning out of control, only for it to get surrounded by Sovereign ships. But the worst part of the whole situation was watching Peter fly through the hole and onto the ship. Not even a second after that passed when the entire Sovereign fleet began firing at the ship. Just as Primrose turned on her aero-rig to go try to help them, and probably die trying, a dozen red lasers emitted from Yondu's ship.

The lasers took out every single one of the Sovereign ships, sending debris all over the planet. A small smile formed on Primrose's face as she watched their enemies' ships explode like fireworks. However, her smile soon faded when Yondu's ship met the same fate as the Sovereign.

"Peter!" Primrose screamed at the top of her lungs. A million different thoughts bounced around in her head as she stared at the place the ship once was. It wasn't long after that when she saw faint red and blue lights coming from the smoke. Primrose didn't move while her eyes followed the lights until the smoke cleared just enough for her to make out the two figures. A wave of relief washed over her as she watched Peter and Yondu fly down to where the rest of their team was.

Primrose didn't look back at Rocket as she started her aero-rig and flew toward the surface. As soon as her feet hit the rocky earth, the Quill woman rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her brother. Peter stumbled back from the impact before looking down at his sister with a small smile on his face. It wasn't long before he returned Primrose's gesture.

"Woah. Didn't think you could show this much affection in one day. Who are you and where's my sister?" the Quill man teased, causing Primrose to push herself away from her brother before punching him in the arm.

"I thought you were dead, you idiot," Primrose responded while trying her best to keep her emotions at bay, only for Peter to see straight through her act, "I don't know what I would've done if that happened."

Before the redheaded man had a chance to respond, Drax shouting Mantis' name cut through the air right as Rocket joined them on the surface. The Quill siblings' attention instantly moved toward the empath to find her lying on the ground. It wasn't long before the surface began to glow and the world around them shook. Primrose couldn't help but look up to find the rock formations above them beginning to crumble.

"She's just unconscious," Drax announced as he took Mantis into his arms.

"How long until the bomb goes off?" Peter asked after turning his attention toward Primrose and Rocket.

"About six minutes," Primrose responded, only for the raccoon next to her to let out an annoyed sigh.

"But that's in the unlikely event that Groot doesn't kill us all," Rocket added, earning a sharp glare from the woman next to him, "oh, come on, Prim! He kept pointing to the death button!"

"Have a little faith in him. He might surprise you," the Quill woman responded as rocks continued to fall from above them, missing them by a few feet.

"Kraglin, we need the quadrant for an extraction. T-minus five minutes," Yondu said into his communicator while keeping his eyes on the crumbling world around him.

"Somebody's gotta be up top when Kraglin arrives," Peter announced before his eyes moved to the man standing in front of him. Primrose watched in horror as he took off his aero-rig and placed it on Drax's back. "Drax, take Mantis."

Before the Kylosian man had a chance to respond, the redheaded man pressed the override button on the back. They all watched as Drax flew into the air without warning as his screams mixed with the sounds of the crumbling planet. Just as Primrose took her blaster out of her holster to prepare for the upcoming battle, she noticed Peter looking over at her. Confusion began flowing through her veins as she turned to face her brother.

"Go with him, Rosie," Peter told her, earning a familiar irritated look from the woman next to him.

"There is no way I'm leaving you to face your deranged father alone," Primrose responded while tightening her grip around her blasters.

"I know. And that's why I love you," the Quill man responded as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Peter just stared at his sister, taking in every detail of her face, before Primrose noticed his smile falter. "But I need you to go."

Just as Primrose was about to argue with him again, Peter reached behind her and pressed the override button on her aero-rig. Shock coursed through her veins as she began soaring through the air and toward the only opening above them. She managed to look back down one last time to find Peter staring up at her as the world crumbled around him.

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