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Dread

Summary:

Rocket is missing, which means, once they rule out him having abandoned the team, Starlord is fighting for a way to find him. We explore what made the Rocket born on Eberron the person he is today, while Tony Stark tries to fix everyone, whether they want him to or not.

Chapter 1: Mist

Chapter Text

Something was wrong with Rocket.

That much was clear.

In the months since she'd joined the crew of the Quadrant, Mantis had grown to know each of them well. On leaving them, Nebula had left Mantis a pair of sturdy gloves, "to keep out of people's heads". Mantis had learned quickly not to delve into the minds of the crew without permission, and to never alter how they felt.

For so long she had worried they did not trust her, until one day, Gamora had sat her down in the galley. The others were off running some errand, so there was no other distraction.

“Are you happy here, Mantis?”

Mantis hadn’t expected the question, and chirruped in surprise. “Of course I am! You are all kind to me, even Rocket-“

Gamora snorted, a noise of disbelief, Mantis had learned, and she felt a little thrill of anger at that.

“Rocket has been kind to me! He made me this bracelet, so no one may read my thoughts.” He had said he’d done so to keep ‘nosy berks from getting past your pathetic defenses and getting the dark on all of us’, but he said many things like that to Peter - Starlord - and he liked Starlord a great deal, so it was clearly the way he was.

Gamora nodded, but her face remained serious, a tightness in her expression. “I have noticed you seem nervous, sometimes, among us. You aren’t used to our lifestyle.”

“No, I am not. This is better than my life with Ego! I have felt so many things I have never felt before-“

There it was, a shift in Gamora’s posture, a dimming, shuttering of the energy coming off of her. Mantis fell back, her excitement dulled, as well.

“What is it?”

“I…” None of the others were here, and Gamora did not speak much if she did not have to, so perhaps she would not share this with the others. “You do not trust me.”

“I don’t - what makes you believe that?”

“Because none of you will let me help you, even when I can feel how much you all hurt! And you, especially, I can feel you - close yourself up whenever you remember what I can do. I understand you worry I might seek to avenge Ego upon one of you. It is just. Difficult. Being around people I like so much who do not feel the same way.”

Gamora sighed, glanced away from Mantis. “I...apologize if I have made you feel unwanted. It has been...difficult adapting to your presence, but that has nothing to do with what I believe your intentions to be. What do you know of illithids, Mantis?”

Mantis shook her head; the name was almost familiar, but nothing she could recall.

“They are telepaths. Vicious, cunning. They subsist on the brains of sentient creatures, and can read thoughts, alter moods. My people fought a thousand-year-long war to be free of them. When I recall what you can do, it - takes a moment to remember that you would not.” She glanced at Mantis, smiling more gently than Mantis was used to from her. “If you can be patient, I’m certain I’ll come around.”

“Oh.” Mantis considered Gamora’s words for a minute. She sounded sincere, but it didn’t explain the rest of the crew. “What about the rest of them?”

Gamora exhaled in a loud huff. “I’m pretty sure that’s on Rocket. I don’t know the details - I don’t think Groot or Peter do, for that matter - but he did not come from a good place, and someone like you - I don’t think he can remind himself as easily as I can that what’s important isn’t what you can do so much as what you wouldn’t. Groot and Peter - I think they’re just being overprotective.”

Which made sense. Whenever Starlord gave her leave to touch him, usually to communicate something he thought would take too long to vocalize, she could sense the fierce love he felt for - well, all of the crew of the Quadrant, but Rocket especially. She hadn’t brought it up since she’d upset Starlord mentioning it aloud, but it was always there.

In the heat of battle or flight, when the undifferentiated emotions around Mantis became too much to bear, Starlord’s love was a beacon, a way for Mantis to center herself.

It was as unwavering as what she’d sensed from Drax directed at her, though Drax’s love (for her! It was strange, unexpected, that anyone would see her as more than a pet, a tool. But he must have felt so, because she was ugly and he did not need her to sleep, and he sought her company anyway) was not overlaid with the...complexities of Starlord’s feelings for Rocket.

“I can’t promise Rocket will ever trust you, or that Groot or Peter will see past his distrust. If that will continue to upset you-“

“Oh, no! Now that I understand, I can try to help Rocket understand I won’t hurt him. Besides…”

“Drax,” Gamora said. “He would be...disappointed if you left.”

“I would be sad to leave him as well.”

Gamora seemed content with the outcome of that conversation, because she didn’t bring it up again. She seemed to grow more comfortable with Mantis, though still refused to allow Mantis to let her sleep, or ease her burdens. She explained once, tersely, that there were dangerous thoughts in her mind, and wouldn’t risk Mantis encountering them. Which Mantis understood; there were creatures in the Planes whose minds were dangerous to enter. It was a sign Gamora cared for her that she would warn Mantis against it.

But then Mantis made a terrible error. They had been tasked to hunt a vicious creature troubling an outpost in the Outlands. It was a psion of sorts, and proved powerful enough to breach Rocket’s defenses (he was the most reserved of them, holding his emotions close enough Mantis could not feel his mind without touching, which she did not have leave to do). He was curled in on himself, unresponsive, when Mantis reached him. It would take only a moment to rouse him, so, unthinking, she touched his forehead-

Particularly strong emotions could startle or daze Mantis, especially those troubling to the person feeling them. Mantis, however, had never experienced pain from such emotions.

But Rocket’s mind was ablaze with misery; painful memories Mantis instinctively shielded herself from, knowing to witness them would be an unforgivable betrayal; self-loathing thoughts that left bruises on her own mind; longing (she shied away from the thoughts that would lead to the target of those feelings); and pain so deeply rooted in his spirit she doubted the greatest telepaths could remove it.

But even through all that, there was one coherent thought. A question.

What could change the nature of a man?

Mantis was suddenly, unexpectedly free of the torment of Rocket’s mind. Starlord stood over her, face impassive; she flinched in anticipation of his anger at violating Rocket’s mind, but instead he squeezed her shoulder gently.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“I should’ve warned you,” he said, biting at his bottom lip, a sign of distress. “I didn’t want to - but whatever. You alright?”

“I...Rocket-“

“Hey, I’ve got this.” Starlord produced a slim glass rod, shrugged, “Well, Rocket does.” He pressed the rod against Rocket’s forehead. Rocket’s eyes fluttered open, a gentler awakening than Mantis’ own, and Starlord smiled at him gently. “Hey, any permanent damage, Buddy?”

“Permanent-“ Rocket scowled, climbing to his feet as he fumbled for his crossbow. “That sodding freak of nature’s gonna have permanent damage when I’m done with them. Hey, ugly!” He then broke into the burbling chatter of an unfamiliar language, which did draw their foe’s attention.

Starlord hung back as Rocket enacted his vengeance on their target. He still look worried.

“I saw it when I had the Philosopher’s Stone,” he explained. “Whatever made him into...what he is...caused him a lot of pain. Causes him a lot of pain. It didn’t do any permanent damage to you, did it?”

Mantis shook her head hurriedly, considering for a moment explaining to Starlord that Rocket’s physical pain could not have hurt her. But delving into his mind, Rocket might forgive. Sharing his secrets, he would not.

He found her after the battle, knocking hesitantly at the door to her cabin before slipping in at her welcome. Rocket looked small, standing before her. He normally walked with a deliberate swagger, puffed himself up to take up more space, so seeing him making no such effort was a shocking reminder of his true size.

“Pete said you dug into my head when I got knocked out.”

“I am sorry! I only thought I would wake you-“

“It’s hende, bug-lady. Fine,” he added. “Just thought…” He shrugged.

“Are you alright, Rocket?”

“Fuck, no!” he barked out, before drawing back, ears flattening, frightened. Uncertain. “Look, Mantis. I got a lot of shit going through my head. I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. Kept out of my head, too.”

The thought of leaving a teammate - a friend - in pain was not a good one, but invading his thoughts was unthinkable. “I will promise. But Rocket, if it’s an emergency-“

“If you got no other choice, go ahead. But keep out of whatever you don’t need and keep quiet ‘bout what you see.”

Mantis nodded, happy she had leave enough to protect Rocket if she needed to.

But it was upsetting, knowing he suffered alone. “If you ever want to talk-“

“Won’t be with a mindhacker,” Rocket snapped. “Had enough people messing around with me.”

Mantis nodded; Gamora had told her how Rocket felt, but it did not ease the hurt at his distrust. “Starlord worries. If you would feel comfortable-“

“Rather kiss the Lady, bug-girl. Look, I made it this far without talking about it. So I’ll be fine.”

He turned to leave, some of the hesitance in his movements gone. But there was one last thing; if she knew of it, Gamora wouldn’t forgive Mantis not asking.

“The old man in your memories. He is not hunting you, is he?”

“Wouldn’t think so.” Rocket pushed the door to Mantis’ room open, paused, turned back to her. “Put him in the dead book myself.”

Mantis didn’t ask why, if the old man was dead, Rocket was still terrified of him.

Afterward, she wondered if it would have made any difference if she’d told the others about what she’d seen, what Rocket had said. Starlord or Groot could have tried to help Rocket.

They were tracking a criminal for the Harmonium, a dangerous wizard who'd killed one patrol of Harmonium soldiers and a platoon of Mercykillers. He'd fled to a Prime Material plane, a strange world filled with floating islands. Rocket had tracked him to a crumbling mansion within a dark realm, a place set about by dense fog; they'd been forced to land a mile away from the place.

They'd gathered in the galley, Rocket sprawled in his chair while Starlord described their approach. Mantis didn't understand who was in charge, sometimes. The Quadrant was Rocket's, the ship they'd once used held in storage. But the last ship they'd owned had been Starlord's, and Rocket seemed content, most of the time, to let Starlord tell them what to do.

But sometimes-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's stupid. We're all adults here, so splitting up so this berk doesn't slip through our fingers again-"

"We did not even grab him last time; I don't see how-"

"So he does not exploit holes in our approach. Splitting up is the best option."

Starlord set his jaw, and even without her talents, Mantis knew there was going to be a fight. "I'm not comfortable sending everyone off in the middle of this fog. Who knows what's out there?"

Rocket would normally sigh, or scoff, or actually make fun of Starlord for caring what happened to them, but instead he grinned. Not the slightly threatening smile he used when he was going to hurt someone, but something purely delighted. He produced a bag, tilting it over the table, spilling out six jeweled earrings, each a different color. Red, blue, orange, green, yellow, violet.

"That good enough for you, Baby Boo?"

Starlord flushed, but picked up the green earring. "What is this?"

"Stick it on your ear and you can chat to anyone else wearing one of these. No range limit, not like anything else I've seen for sale. So." He was still grinning, to which Starlord grinned, a little hesitantly.

"Alright, this is pretty awesome. Good job, Rocket." Rocket responded to most compliments with casual arrogance, certain he deserved such praise, but sometimes when Starlord said something, Rocket, well, preened was the best word Mantis had. "I guess if there’s no chance of losing someone in the fog, Rocket’s plan is the best one.”

“Damn right it is. So enough chattering and let’s get out there. Remember, no one’s seen him cast faster than anyone else or without his hands, so getting in close and breaking his fingers is a good start.”

And they’d spread out, Drax and Gamora, being the fastest, circling to the rear of the building. It had taken Mantis only a few moments alone in the mist before she began to feel uneasy.

“Is everyone well?”

“Oh! I hear your voice as if you are right next to me!”

“Ow, you don’t need to shout, you giant ass. In fact, since we’re trying to be quiet, just whisper.”

“But then how-“

“Magic. Honestly. Oh, fun fact, you can talk to one person without yarking in everyone’s ear. Just think real hard about the person you wanna talk to and talk normally, like this.”

There was silence, which Mantis took as an opportunity to move toward the mansion as they were supposed to do. And then-

“R - Rocket!”

Rocket’s laughter was clear, as if he were standing next to Mantis. “Wish I could see your face, Baby Boo. Now enough wasting time, let’s get this sod.”

Mantis wasn’t sure if she should have realized sooner something was wrong. Rocket’s silence through the remainder of the mission was unusual, but it wasn’t until they secured their target without seeing Rocket that she actually grew concerned.

Starlord, when Mantis voiced her concern, waved at Gamora to watch their charge, and spoke, the speaking stone projecting his voice to each of them. “Rocket?” When there was no response, Starlord stepped away, and Mantis couldn’t hear his next words. Starlord was scowling when he returned to them.

“I don’t want to sit on this guy while we wait for Rocket to get bored with whatever he’s stumbled across. I’ll stick around so he doesn’t think we’ve abandoned him whenever he makes an appearance.”

“I can stay-“ Mantis offered, but Starlord gave her a dismissive wave in response.

“You’re probably more useful keeping our friend here asleep. Gamora?”

Gamora nodded. “If Groot wanted to stay-“

“I am Groot.”

Starlord turned, glaring at Groot. “If you’d known that, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I am-“

“I know he likes his privacy, but you should know I worry about him-“ Starlord huffed, angry, before taking a slower, deep breath. “Okay. All of you go escort our friend to the Harmonium, and I’ll stick around for whenever Rocket feels like rejoining us.”

As Mantis helped load their bounty aboard the Quadrant, Groot huddled with Starlord apart from the ship, his rumbling voice too quiet to distinguish more than the occasional, “Groot”.

They were both clearly worried, though seemed not to want to let the rest of the team to know. Even a few weeks ago, Mantis might have been worried they didn't trust her, but she knew now that Rocket loathed appearing weak. If Starlord could help it, he wouldn't let anyone else know if Rocket were in trouble.

The four days they spent in transit to and from the nearest Harmonium outpost were tense. Starlord offered infrequent updates to inform them Rocket was still absent, Gamora growing visibly more anxious with each report.

Three days in, Groot lumbered into the galley, drank a gallon of water, and sat heavily on a chair. "I am Groot."

Mantis felt a thrill of fear. One thing she'd learned growing up with a celestial guardian was the power of divinations. There were few ways to hinder the magic Groot had been using - either the most powerful mortal magic, or the will of the gods.

Gamora, though, looked mostly unconcerned. "Out of all of us, Rocket has the most indomitable will, and possibly the greatest desire for privacy. Even if he thought you were looking for him, he wouldn't willingly allow someone to scry for him. So I would advise not letting your lack of success on that front worry you."

"Instead of your front, I would worry that Starlord has not found Rocket yet."

"I am Groot."

Drax laughed. "Rocket says he does not want company, but he is clearly lying. And unless Starlord did something to upset him, I do not think Rocket would be hiding from Starlord."

No one had an immediate response to that. Mantis didn't know about the others, but she wasn't stupid; it was clear Rocket felt deeply for Starlord. Drax's observation that Rocket wouldn't hide from Starlord was probably correct; Rocket complained about his crew constantly, but usually to Starlord (even when Starlord himself was the topic). Despite the effort he'd gone to designing the ship's lab for crafting work to exact specifications, Rocket almost always did his work within line of sight of Starlord.

And, well, there was the moment he'd stood between Starlord and the Lady of Pain, the most dangerous creature in the Planes, refusing to let her kill him, even though there was nothing Rocket could do to stop her.

Starlord...well, he had less experience than Rocket at shielding his mind from telepaths.

And none of them talked about it. Starlord had made it clear he considered his feelings about Rocket private, and the others seemed to agree.

But if Mantis had someone she felt that deeply about, she could not imagine staying silent about it.

That conversation, though, was the last they had on the subject of Rocket before they returned to Starlord.

Starlord had set up camp, though his bedroll appeared unused and his exhaustion was potent enough to make Mantis want to sleep. He was pacing a small circuit around his camp, rushing to Groot when he saw him.

"Dude, I need you to look around for Rocket now. I don't know how far he can get in four days, but he is not answering his sending stone, and I am officially out of ideas."

"I am Groot."

Starlord scowled and turned away from Groot, folding his arms tight across his chest. "For like a day. He's not an asshole, Groot-"

"I am Groot."

"Well, not enough of one to make me sit here wondering if he's dead or worse. What if illithids found him and they're gonna turn him into the shortest, most deadly mind flayer ever created?"

"I am Groot."

Starlord nodded. "Yeah, thanks." He stalked into the woods surrounding the ship as Groot sat carefully on the sod. Mantis hurried after Starlord, because neither Drax nor Gamora appeared prepared to offer him the comfort she could sense he needed.

Starlord was a few dozen yards away, hands clenched at his side. Mantis paused just behind him, gloved hand a few inches from him.

"I can help soothe your troubled mind."

Starlord took a deep breath, let it out, and then nodded. "Okay."

Mantis had a moment of uncertainty, before she decided to ask again, because even Drax wouldn't allow her to do more than help him sleep. "Peter?"

"Rocket is missing. I have no idea where he is, if he's alive, or if he needs my help. And I don't know - my dad was an absolute dick, but sitting around worrying about people all the time makes it harder to help them. So yeah, if you can turn off my, I don't know, cycle of panic over what might be going on with Rocket, I'd appreciate it."

Mantis had not seen Starlord cry when both the men he could call father died - neither at the moment of death, or when Yondu's compatriots returned to give him the funerary rites they'd previously denied him. But now, tears gathered at the corner of his eyes, one hand braced against the nearest tree, he was as close as she'd seen.

So she removed her glove and pressed it against the back of Starlord's neck.

His panic nearly overwhelmed her, his anxiety focused on a thousand things that could have happened to Rocket. And then she felt the whole mass of it - his worry, admiration, frustration, attraction, love.

Ego had possessed no feeling this complex; Mantis could dull his regret or sorrow with no fear of altering his being. But real care, real love, was something so intricate Mantis knew she couldn’t alter it without forever changing how Starlord viewed Rocket.

But there was one thing she could do.

When she pulled her hand away, some of the slump had gone from Starlord's stance; he looked back at her, one eyebrow raised, curiously.

"Don't worry, Starlord. We will find Rocket, and he will be fine."

"I-" Starlord tilted his head, as if considering something. "I know that. Why do I know that?"

"You - were worrying," Mantis said hurriedly. "Because you care for him deeply. I would not wish to - alter that in any way. But I raised your confidence in him, in us. Because I do not think hope will be hurtful to you."

Starlord stepped forward abruptly, pulling Mantis into a tight embrace; unlike the few times she'd seen him hug Rocket, Starlord hung on long enough that Mantis could recover from her shock and hug him back, gently. When Starlord stepped back, he was smiling, though his eyes were still wet.

"Thanks, Mantis. You're right; I feel...better about this." He shook his head. "This is actually pretty cool; we should have had you doing this all the time!"

"No." Still reeling a little from experiencing the depth and complexity of Starlord's feelings, Mantis slipped her gloves back on and patted his shoulder. "I was used to Ego's emotions, which were more...direct. I risk changing your very nature if I delve too deeply into your emotions."

Starlord gave her a cautious look, but he patted her shoulder anyway. "Well, good thing you figured that out."

Mantis felt pleasure at Starlord's praise, the casual touch. She smiled at him and patted his arm. "I am glad you do not regret having me with you."

"Why would we regret it? Sure, Rocket's a little nervous around you, but you're cool."

"Gamora believes you do not likely me because my powers make Rocket anxious."

Starlord waved his hand, huffing quietly. "Yeah, sure, I worry about Rocket. But that doesn't mean I can't like you. But speaking of Rocket-"

Back at the ship, Groot was still focusing, Gamora and Drax settled apart from him. In the few minutes it took Groot to complete his spell, Starlord began to pace again, still anxious despite Mantis' assistance.

And then Groot scrambled to his feet, face shifting in an emotion Mantis had not seen on him before.

"I am...Groot."

Mantis had never seen Groot uncertain, worried. He always held a sort of level confidence, in himself, in his companions.

She had never before seen him afraid.

"What do you mean, 'gone'? He can still-"

"I am Groot."

"Then we'll go after him! He followed Ego for me, we can follow him - wherever that portal goes!"

"I am Groot."

Starlord slowed, stopped, turning to face Groot. Mantis could see, could feel, the determination she'd pushed on him. But she could feel his growing despair, the two emotions in flux within him.

"Then we find out where it goes, and how to open it, and then follow him!" Starlord snapped. "Come on, Groot, show me this portal."

Groot led them away from the ship with no complaint, but as they passed into the woods, following trails of mist that curled around their feet. Something about the fog left Mantis feeling anxious, but as they moved, the fog thinned. Groot's movements became less certain, though, until he slowed, stopped, looking around them slowly.

Starlord, scowling, slapped Groot's shoulder. "Come on, what's the hold up?"

"I...am Groot."

"Portals don't just disappear! They go dormant when you're not using them."

"That is...not entirely accurate," Gamora said. "There are t - at least one being who can control portals - create them, destroy them, change their destinations."

"You don't think the Lady of Pain left Sigil - the Cage - to what, maze Rocket?"

"I said nothing of the sort," Gamora retorted, primly. "Beings like the Lady of Pain and...anyone else capable of doing this are powerful. Dangerous."

"So?"

"When Coran the Strategist fought the Legion of Ten Thousand Cultists, he first spoke the the survivors of every battle they ever had. He used that knowledge to plan a brilliant ambush that destroyed half of their force in one attack."

"Exactly. Running in there half-cocked isn't going to help Rocket, and will likely get all of us killed."

"I know that," Starlord groaned. "But if a creepy powerful entity kidnapped Rocket on his own, that means he needs us!"

"Which means we need to understand what we're doing before we go in after him."

"If we need someone who understands things, we could go to see The Collector."

Starlord, face still pained, pale, glanced over at Drax. "He only gives us answers when he gets something he wants out of us. And I can't imagine what we can give him now."

"There is...someone else," Gamora admitted. "Strange, and capricious, but his people have great experience with portals."

"Really?" The shift in Starlord's stance, his expression, was immediate, as he drew to Gamora's side. "Then why are we waiting here?"

"Because one does not waltz into Ysgard without careful preparation."

"Wait - Ysgard?" Gamora had turned back to the ship, waving the rest of them along, so Starlord hurried after her. "We're not going to try to meet with Odin, are we? From what I've heard, he's not the benevolent dispenser of wisdom you seem to think he is."

"True, Odin is not likely to just tell us what we need to know. So we are going to someone we may be able to bargain with."

They'd reboarded by that point, Gamora waving at Drax to prep the shit while she sat in the co-pilot's chair. Starlord dropped down next to her, quiet. "Who are we meeting, Gamora?"

"...Loki."

"That is extremely unwise! Loki is a chaotic and unpredictable creature, with no reason to their actions-"

Mantis froze when she realized the others were looking at her, feeling her heartbeat speed up in anxiety. "I only...we should be very cautious, if you believe we must speak to them."

"That was my intention. If at all possible, I would prefer Groot and Drax not be present when we speak to them. Loki is a trickster and a liar, and neither of you are well-equipped to dealing with such people."

Gamora and Starlord spent much of their trip to Ysgard debating the merits of different approaches - from simple bribery to threats, seduction, and invasive telepathy. On the last suggestion, Mantis had to admit she was not nearly skilled enough to read a god's mind without his consent.

She was also certain neither Starlord nor Gamora thought having a plan would help them. Loki was notoriously unpredictable - even more so than the slaadi, whose very beings were formed of elemental chaos. Loki might decide, for reasons known to nobody but them, to provide the knowledge they sought unprompted. Loki might decide to kill them all, request Gamora provide them her father's head, or ask to travel with them.

So there was no plan set by the time they reached Ysgard, and the great palace of Odin. The beauty of the buildings, shaped of rare metals and crystal, the rising towers of the central palace, almost matched that of Ego's realm.

There was a great harbor where ships, of the seas, skies, and Void, were docked, and it was there they stopped. Gamora, it seemed, was taking the lead. Starlord was unusually quiet and compliant; it was clear, even without Mantis' awareness of his emotions, that he was brooding over their absent team member.

It was Gamora, then, who gave Drax and Groot final instructions before departing the galley. "You two stay out of trouble while we try to find Loki."

"And what do they do once you've found me? We could send them out to one of my brother's favorite taverns while we have important, adult conversations." A creature, appearing much like a male human, slim, pale, dark-haired, lounged on the vacant chair that, had he been here, Rocket would have occupied. They raised one hand, as if to snap their fingers; Gamora lunged forward and grabbed their hand in a crushing grip. The creature looked down at her hand, curious.

"And what do you worry I'll do if I snap my fingers, little gith?" they asked, smirking. "Do you think I possess the Tesseract, or the All-Seeing Eye?"

"I cannot know for certain."

"True," the creature agreed. "Now, I believe introductions are in order. I, of course, am the god of mischief and chaos, Loki Odinson, but you five - there should be six. The stories I heard said there were six of you - there was a foul-tempered creature - a rabbit, I heard." They looked...disappointed, Mantis thought; their emotions shielded almost entirely beyond a screen of amusement.

Starlord opened his mouth to reply, but then Loki stood, hands out. "No, hold on here. I came here to meet you on the understanding I'd get the whole experience - including the sarcastic rabbit. I don't just show up on every ship that lands here, you know. What did you do with him?"

"We didn't do anything with him; we lost him."

Loki narrowed their eyes at Starlord. "You don't lose people. You lose their trust, their faith, their love, and they lose themselves. So how about you tell me what happened before I get tired of you?"

Gamora leapt in before Starlord could say something stupid; as instructed, Mantis kept her attention on Loki. And their amusement gave way to a sense of curiosity, but as Gamora's story continued, it was replaced by concern. Worry. Fear.

"Well." Loki sat back against one of the counters in the galley. "If this is actually what happened, I have good news and bad news. Well, depends on your perspective. It might be all bad news. Anyway, the takeaway is it's not worth spending a lot of effort worrying about Rocket."

"You mean he's okay?"

"What?" Loki gave Starlord a startled glance, probably not used to being interrupted. "Oh, no. I just meant his well-being is now entirely outside of your control. Your friend was taken by the Dark Powers to the Demiplane of Dread."

"That name wouldn't happen to be really misleading, would it?"

Loki shrugged. "Not in any way that would make you feel better. The Dark Powers are...aptly named, encouraging and empowering those prone to irredeemable evil. There's an interesting philosophical question whether their ability to lure benighted souls into their dark realm is greater than the Lady of Pain's ability to manipulate the portals into and out of Sigil, which is pointless, I think. If your choice is spending the rest of your life in the Cage or being banished to a realm where your every weakness is exploited until you give into your darkest urges, it's the same either way."

What Mantis understood from Loki's rambling was likely the same as Starlord did, if the sensation of grief, disbelief, and anger she felt from him was any indication.

Starlord stepped up to Loki, almost, but not quite, touching, chin quivering, hands shaking. "Why are you acting like we should just write him off? You know where he is; why can't we just get him?"

"Because when it comes to controlling who gets in and out of their demiplane, the Dark Powers are on par with the Lady of Pain."

"Oh come on, you are literally a god! Are you saying there's nothing you can do?"

Loki raised one hand, waggling it at about chest level. "Me? No."

"But you know someone who can."

Loki nodded.

"And what...would you want to tell us how to do this?"

Loki stepped back, looking Starlord up and down, before giving him a wide grin. "For the sake of your darling rabbit, I'll tell you for nothing. Heimdall - one of my people - commands an artifact created with the power of the Tesseract, one of the Divinity Stones. He can see any creature in the Planes, and transport them to or from Ysgard through the Rainbow Bridge."

"It seems cruel to have told us there was no hope when you knew of a way to retrieve Rocket from the Demiplane of Dread," Gamora sniped.

"I said there was no hope because there is none," Loki retorted, with an almost vicious smirk. "For Heimdall to place a creature upon the Rainbow Bridge, he must speak their name. Their true name."

Starlord let out a choked sob and stepped back from Loki, his sorrow mingling with the feeling of the others'.

Because Rocket had not shared his true name with any of them.