Chapter Text
“We must be nearing the vessel by now,” Drax demanded, slamming his fist onto the center console of the vehicle.
“We’ll get there when we get there,” Crimson scoffed, staring out her window at the passing Terran trees and cars, her foot following the rhythm of the music quietly. She decided to tie her long, red hair up into a braid, which laid over her shoulder.
They took a large van, the only vehicle large enough to fit the entire group and all of their luggage. Some had packed… more than others, being Drax and Heidi. Which was typical for the two. Annoyingly typical.
Crimson had packed the basics—though all of her clothing and basics were personally tailored to her style, so she found it to be all she needed in the first place. Now, it was onwards into their new “adventure,” one she had been awaiting for a while. Space had become strangely tiring recently.
Rocket worked quietly on something behind them—what she suspected to be a weapon of some sort, but she didn’t yet have the heart to tell him he couldn’t bring it on board. Someone else could deal with that outrage.
Eventually they crossed a bridge, allowing the large ships to finally come into view. She could easily spot the one they would be residing on for the next week, the bright, colorful exterior giving it away easily. She drummed her fingers along the bottom of her car door’s windowsill.
“Finally,” Heidi sighed with relief. She’d been judging the terran van they’d selected harshly ever since revealing it, claiming there had been many alternatives they could have chosen which would have sufficed. But, “of course they had to choose this one.”
“Will you shut up now? You’ve been talking this entire ride,” Nebula asked, her low and breathy tone a dead giveaway to her annoyance. Though, it was hard to tell with her—she was always annoyed or pissed off at something.
The car turned a corner, bringing the group closer to the port. Peter was in the drivers seat, being the only actual Terran in the car and the only one who appeared normal to any passing police officers on the highway. He had been focused the entire trip. He wasn’t that great of a driver, anyhow. rolled down the window as they neared a young man struggled to control the traffic headed into the port.
“We must know where the entrance for the large ship in front of us is,” Drax he demanded. The young man blinked back at him in surprise, peering into the van at the rest of the strange-looking passengers.
“Um. Right that way, sir,” he replied hesitantly, adjusting his hat which protected his face from the glaring sun and pointing toward one of the intersecting roads. “Just keep heading straight, then take a left two intersections down.”
“Thank you,” Drax replied with a smile and a sharp nod, rolling his window back up as began to drive again.
“‘Can’t believe I had to sit back here,” Rocket grumbled as he sat up, too short to view out the windows.
“Well, it’d be kind of weird for the citizens of terra to see an anthramorphic raccoon in shotgun,” Pete finally spoke, raising a hand off the steering wheel then quickly latching it back on.
“I’m not a rabboon,” he muttered quietly, slouching farther into his chair.
“I am Groot,” Groot corrected.
“Whatever,” he scoffed, crossing his arms.
“We’re here!” Gamora shouted, as if to warn the group for an upcoming battle.
“Alright, guys, look. This is Terra. There aren’t going to be enemies on this ship. And Terrans are pretty… strict about weaponry. Which means absolutely no weapons on the ship. You can’t even show them here. And they’ll detect them before you get on,” Peter said, stopping the car at one of the designated spots and turning around to face the group.
“What?!” Rocket yelled, flailing his arms.
“Yup,” he responded with a nod, turning to open the car door and step out.
“Not even a single, small bomb?” Rocket yelled.
“Nope. Don’t even say that word around here,” Peter called from the other side of the window.
Crimson stared forward. Before them was the ship—a giant, looming thing. She could see parts of a water slide peeking out from the very top when she craned her neck up as far as she could, though the closest star burned her eyes. Employees of the cruise line gathered other passenger’s luggage quickly, heaving the heavy bags onto metal carts so they could carry many at a time.
Drax opened the next door, stepping out of the van and stretching. “Finally I am out of this irksome confinement.”
Other passengers stared, eyeing him with suspicion. Justified suspicion, considering how different he looked compared to them. And Crimson knew the staring would only worsen. Heidi opened the next door, stepping out, wearing her massive platform heels. Gamora and Groot followed behind her. Mantis had been pressed up next to them, cramped to the side the entire ride. She had volunteered to do so, expressing how she didn’t mind being squished to the side. Crimson wished he was still a child, considering they could have stuck him into a carry-on bag.
Crimson sucked in a sharp breath and opened her door, stepping out quickly. She wore large, chunky sneakers and and comfortably oversized T-shirt, paired with a pair of biker shorts. She fidgeted with one of the straps on her backpack she decided to use as her carry-on luggage as the Terrans continued to stare at the strange-looking group.
Some of them whispered to another with excitement, clearly recognizing them from the large fiasco a few years back. Rocket jumped out of the van next, Nebula close behind, glaring around at the surrounding groups sharply.
They all said nothing, knowing this would happen. Crimson was surprised that could keep his mouth shut this long.
She walked to the trunk, grabbing her suitcase. Crimson wheeled to over to the employees, who took it nervously and muttered frantic welcomes. There was a long line of people further ahead, all waiting to step into the main security building. She let out a breathy sigh, tapping her hand against her leg as she waited for the rest of the group to bring their bags over.
“I will bring your car over to the parking garage,” one of the employees offered, extending his palm to Pete so he could hand over the keys.
With Heidi’s final five bags, they left, heading down the twisting path guided by flimsy fabric straps strung through plastic poles. They headed up an escalator, which Drax had strongly expressed his distaste for. Crimson glanced behind her, spotting Groot playing on one of the retro video games Peter had gifted him. Once they entered the building they were met by fresh stares, distracting the employees who were scanning passports or bringing guests through the metal detectors.
Crimson silently wished Tony was still here, as she was certain he would have been able to pull a few strings and make the entire process easier for them. Heidi had still been able to get them registered for passports, due to a few old connections and a lot of paperwork. She had been fairly set on this trip. Crimson studied the bag of the people in front of her, who refused to meet her gaze and continued to stare forward. It was colorful, with a small, fluffy keychain hanging off of the zipper.
“Tourists are interesting,” Crimson whispered to Heidi, eyeing the brightly colored tropical shirts many of them wore and wide straw sun hats placed atop of their heads.
“You’re no better,” she replied, shrugging and stepping over to the first security checkpoint.
“Passport and records?” the man asked lazily, not bothering to question their otherworldly looks. She found that odd for someone who was supposed to be keeping the guests safe from harm.
“Yeah. Here,” she said, handing him the small navy booklet and printed out photo of her ticket. He opened the cover, flipped through the pages, and checked over matching date of birth between the two objects.
“You’re good,” he said through a thick accent a few moments later, handing her back her items and waving for Crimson to step up.
She followed the same process as Heidi had, along with everyone else they had dragged along with them. Heidi had been forced to get the entire group their own passports, which was incredibly difficult for her, but she made it happen somehow. Rocket stepped up. The man let him pass without an issue, as long as he had handed him his passport and receipt.
“You’re not going to question this small mammal?” Drax questioned, looming over the employee.
“Drax!” Mantis scolded with an annoyed tone, walking up behind him.
“I really don’t care,” the man sneered snottily, then roared, “Next!”
Crimson approached the metal detector, eyeing Rocket suspiciously. She knew he had a tendency to do things he wasn’t meant to do. Though, if he did set it off, she had a feeling it would be due to the metal pieces attached to his back.
And sure enough, he walked through, the air filling with a loud repetitive beep and the light on top of the machine turning red.
“I didn’t even bring anything!” Rocket complained, turning around and extending his arms so the man with the handheld detector could frisk him. However, the employees and other passengers glanced at him, taken aback by his speaking and walking and… everything else that makes him, him. As she suspected, the stick hovered over his back, beeping.
“Eh… um. Please remove your… shirt?” the man asked hesitantly, scratching his head and having to lean down just to frisk Rocket.
“Don’t frickin’ try,” he warned, snarling. The employee turned to Crimson, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.
“Animals are not allowed on board.”
“Don’t call me—“ Rocket started, leaning forward with claws extended.
The Terran group’s phones were out, recording the situation. Along with that, they were crowding around, surrounding and escalating the situation. Crimson watched the fur on the back of Rocket’s neck stand up.
“He has clearance. Avengers clearance,” Crimson whispered, interrupting before things could get worse. The man’s eyes widened, leaning toward the passport man and whispering a question. The man responded with a nod and dismissive wave. Crimson studied him. He hadn’t even blinked at the blue cyborg behind her. Perhaps he was too underpaid to care.
“Alright then… step through,” he said, waving for Mantis to walk forward. The rest did as they were told, stopping only when Heidi’s prosthetic hand beeped—composed entirely of Valani metal. However, she went through a similar process, declaring that she had clearance and “they didn’t even have to stop her anyway, since they should know her.”
They finally stepped through the cramped room. Ahead was a new one, the roof a giant sunlight held up by pillars. They were designed to appear as stone palm trees. A majority of lines had been opened to the right, each filled with Terrans waiting for their receipts to be checked. Their group waited as patiently as they could, some fidgeting, some standing as still as physically possible. They finally approached the front of the line, handing in their tickets after greeting the woman standing behind the counter.
“Alright, so, Nebula, Groot, Mantis, Heidi, Drax, Peter, Crimson, and Gamora? Everyone is here?” she asked, scanning the barcode under the ticket names.
“Yeah,” Peter said, glancing around at the group.
“Alright. You have purchased two rooms for the next seven days. I’m assuming boys and girls will be separated?” she asked, comparing the photos on her computer screen to their faces.
“You got that right,” Heidi scoffed.
“Here you are, then!” the woman chirped, handing them their keycards for the rooms.
Crimson flipped her personal blue card in her hand, spotting her name and basic information written on the front. Translating everything to Terran years and months had been difficult, especially after the amount of translations it had undergone throughout the years. They turned to their left, heading down a hallway and turning. They were quickly approached by a new set of employees, each with their own setup of a camera and backdrop of their ship for the next week.
“Picture?” one asked, approaching them quickly.
“Why not?” Peter asked rhetorically, stepping toward one of the backdrops. The rest of them followed close behind.
They bunched together so they would fit inside the camera lens. Crimson smiled brightly, holding up a peace sign—which she knew was common on Terra. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rocket’s refusal to smile. The camera flashed brightly, momentarily blinding her. Crimson laughed, walking toward the camera to check out how the picture turned out. The more they neared the ship, the more excited she became internally. She blinked, her eyes skimming across the each individual in the group’s faces.
“Aww, it turned out so cute!” Crimson pulled out some of the cash she had to transact from her large balance of units. She paid the man, handing him the amount he requested.
“Thank you!” she chirped, tucking the physical copy of the image into her bag. They turned another corner. She gazed out of the window to her left, displaying the ship in its enormosity.
“Wow,” Heidi whispered from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. They both squealed excitedly.
Crimson spotted Nebula rolling her eyes and huffing with annoyance in the corner of her eye. Heidi and Crimson dissolved into giggles. They approached the boarding cross, not too different from crossing between two spacecrafts. The metal floor creaked beneath them as they walked. Once they crossed, they were immediately met by an employee holding a spray bottle containing hand sanitizer. He sprayed each of their hands as they passed by, walking up to another man who was scanning each passenger’s keycards. Crimson handed him hers. He placed it onto a white object, emitting a loud beep. His computer screen pulled up all of her information and a photo of her for facial recognition. He nodded and gestured for her to pass through.
She turned and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. “We’re finally here!” she squealed as they stepped past the man scanning their cards.
“Took long enough,” Heidi complained.
They crossed through a strangely-shaped doorway and immediately entered a brightly lit room. The stench of alcohol filled the air, as to the right, there was a bar. Another employee of the cruise stood nearby, talking quietly to a group of passengers.
“Alright,” Gamora muttered, glancing around the room. “The cabins won’t be ready for a while. We should schedule shows and restaurant reservations while they aren’t full.”
“Yeah, so, where do we do that?” Rocket asked, arms crossed.
“The theater is accepting reservations for both,” Mantis replied, crossing her arms in front of her politely.
“Then let’s go,” Nebula spoke, her expression an unmoving scowl. They walked through the bar, passing a lounge which reeked of cigars. She tapped at a large screen suspended into the wall. It opened to a map, displaying the theater—which was on the same floor they currently stood on. It was across the center of the ship, which was open by balconies on three floors. Each floor was covered by shops, bars, and doorways leading to the outdoor balconies. Once they crossed the elevators, the walls quickly turned to a dark brown wooden texture. The name “Aqua Theatre” glowed a bright yellow, hung over a doorway which opened to another golden hallway. They were met by a loud crowd of guests.
“The wait must be an hour long,” Peter groaned, annoyed.
“Quit complaining,” Heidi snapped.
A young woman approached them, her name tag reading “Alice.” She held a handful of pamphlets in her palms.
“Would you like one?” she asked, already handing one to each member of the group.
“Thank you,” Crimson smiled, reading the long list of entertainment options for the next week. “A Fleetwood Mac tribute concert? You’re kidding. They’re playing all of the songs on Rumours.”
“What?” Peter yelled.
“Yeah, look under ‘No Reservations,’ Pete,” Crimson responded, pointing to the spot on his pamphlet where it was shown.
“Aw, damn. We’ll have to get there early to get good seats,” Heidi muttered, her eyes skimming down the paper.
Crimson shrugged, moving up the line. Eventually they reached the front, each branching off into two different lines. The group split so they were able to schedule restaurants and shows at the same time.
“Rooms on floors eight through ten are ready for guests!” the woman on the announcement speaker exclaimed.
“Ten? That’s our floor, right?” Crimson asked, studying her keycard. “
Yeah,” Peter responded, “they’re right next to each other.”
The group turned and headed up the staircase, clearing three floors. The stairs were carpeted with a blue and white pattern, mirrors on each side and elevators directly across from the stairs. Crimson turned to her left once they reached the tenth floor, reading the signs. Room 10797–the room the girls had claimed as their own. They reached the room quickly, only a few paces away from the turn in the hallway. The interior was spacious, with a large bed and a foldable couch. The bathroom itself was large, with a shower big enough that she could spread her arms and not hit the walls.
“This is nice,” Nebula muttered, staring around the room.
“Yeah,” Heidi agreed, opening the balcony door.
“What time is our luggage supposed to arrive?” Gamora asked, who was looking at the inside of the closet space.
“Oh, like, nine?” Crimson guessed. “They’re doing floor by floor.”
“Oh,” Mantis muttered. “Hopefully ours will arrive quickly. I’m not sure how strict the dress code is for the dining room.”
“Eh, shouldn’t be too bad,” Crimson sighed, resting on the bed. A knock sounded on the door. Nebula stalked over, opening it.
“Hey guys, what do we do for lunch?” Peter asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“I dunno. We gotta check the pamphlets and see what’s open,” Crimson muttered, walking over and grabbing the small paper tucked into the room-number sign. Heidi looked over her shoulder.
“The buffet will be way too crowded. We should go to that place where you order on tablets,” Heidi spoke, her eyes lighting up with newfound excitement.
“Indulge Food Hall?” Gamora asked, holding Crimson’s shoulder as she stood behind her.
”Yeah,” Crimson muttered. “Their menu should be large enough. And it’s complementary dining.”
”I’ll go grab ,” Peter sighed, turning the corner of the indents between doors.
Crimson grabbed her keycard from the slot which allowed her to turn on the rooms power. The lights soon switched off. The group of girls stood in the hallway to wait.
Soon the guys turned the corner, already arguing about something presumably stupid.
“Okay, it should be on the eighth floor,” Crimson recalled from memory.
“Shouldn’t take too long to get there,” Nebula spoke, turning her head to the side slightly.
They walked down the two flights of stairs and turned to corner, heading straight into a bar. Crimson turned, disoriented.
“The maps said it should be here?” Heidi muttered.
Crimson gazed into the busy restaurant.