Peter Quill's Arc

Chapter 3 of 4

The ship steadied above open sky. Peter reached for the chip's data, ready to punch in the first coordinate. The console beeped and threw up a red wall of symbols. He tapped it again. Same wall. "No," he said. "Come on, not this too." Rocket leaned over and read the screen. "Encrypted. Locked tight. Whoever gave you this didn't want it easy." He snorted. "Smart of her. Dumb of you." "Can you crack it?" "Not without a decryption key I don't have." Rocket poked the screen and scowled. "This ain't a busted wire, Quill. It's math. I can't tape math." Peter's stomach dropped. The chip was useless. The coordinates sat behind a lock, and the auction clock was still running. He pressed his forehead against the console. Somewhere a branch scraped. Baby Groot climbed onto the dash. The little tree had ridden along quiet, curled in the seat pocket. He stared at the red symbols, head tilted. One thin arm reached toward the port. "Not now, buddy," Peter said. "This is grown-up stuff." Groot didn't stop. He pushed a slim green root straight into the data slot beside the chip. His big eyes went blank, focused inward. "Hey!" Rocket slapped at him. "You'll fry yourself!" "I am Groot," said Groot. Firm. *(I can feel it.)* Peter grabbed Rocket's paw and held it back. "Wait. Let him." The root twitched. Tiny shoots split off and threaded into the slot, feeling their way like fingers in the dark. The screen flickered. One symbol turned from red to green. Then another. "He's reading the wiring," Rocket breathed. "Not the code. The wires under it. Feeling where the lock lives." Groot's face scrunched. This mattered, and he tried harder. He'd wanted the words once, when someone he loved walked away. He didn't need words now. He needed the lock. *(Almost. Hold on.)* The screen went black. Peter's heart stopped. Then the wall of red collapsed. A clean map bloomed across the console, bright dots scattered across star systems. Names beside them. His crew. All of them. "He did it," Peter whispered. "Groot, you beautiful little twig." Groot pulled his root free and swayed, drained. He gave a small, tired smile. "I am Groot." *(Told you.)* Rocket stared at the map, then at Groot, then back. "Fine. He's smarter than both of us. Don't let it go to your head." Peter zoomed the map. The nearest dot pulsed close. But a second marker blinked over the same system, moving fast toward it. A ship. Bigger than his. He tapped it and the console flagged a symbol he knew too well. A bounty tag. Someone had already bought the location. They were beating him to it. Rocket read it too. His ears flattened. "So the auction didn't wait for us." Peter set his jaw and pushed the throttle. The wounded drive howled. "Then we get there first."