Chapter 124: C124 A Ducks Night Out
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Rocket was in his element, surrounded by parts, wires, and gadgets as he worked furiously on upgrading the Red Room floating base. His furry paws moved with precision, and his eyes darted around, taking in every detail.
Alongside him, Groot, Cosmo, Teefs, Lylla, and Floor hustled to follow his rapid-fire instructions, each trying to keep up with the raccoon's relentless pace.
"Groot, hand me that plasma coupler!" Rocket barked.
"I am Groot," the tree-like being responded, handing over a random part.
Without looking, Rocket took it, only to realize it wasn't what he had asked for. "No, you moron, the one to your left!" he shouted, finally getting what he needed.
"Cosmo, make sure those conduits are connected correctly. No, no, the blue one goes there, not the red one!" Rocket's voice was sharp, bordering on a berating.
"Yes, Rocket," Cosmo replied, her telekinetic abilities aiding her in attaching the parts as instructed.
Teefs, Lylla, and Floor scurried around, each doing their part to keep the operation running smoothly. Despite their best efforts, Rocket's voice never lost its edge.
Nearby, Howard the Duck was lounging with a drink in hand, his eyes bleary with drunkenness. Across from him, Revan sat cross-legged, meditating, the serene aura of the ghostly Sith Lord a stark contrast to the chaos around him.
Howard took another swig of his drink and let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "I can't believe Peter left us stuck here in this floating tin can. No talking animals, no living trees, no Darkside force ghosts on this planet. Just a bunch of boring humans. How are we supposed to enjoy ourselves? It's like he's forgotten what it means to have fun."
Rocket's ears twitched in irritation. He could feel his concentration slipping. Finally, he snapped. "We get it, Howard! You've done nothing but complain since we got here. If you want to leave and explore the planet, then just go already! I'm trying to make it so this place can jump into hyperspace, and I don't need to listen to a drunken bird quack about his problems on top of everything else."
Suddenly, Cosmo taunted, "We all know Howard won't go because he's afraid of the Captain..."
This earned a round of laughter from everyone except Revan, who continued his meditation without a hint of amusement.
Howard's feathers ruffled visibly as he refuted, "I'm not afraid of anyone, especially not Peter!"
"Yeah, right…" Cosmo drawled sarcastically.
"You know what?" Howard stood up from his seat, "Fine, I'll go!"
Rocket, barely paying attention anymore, muttered over his shoulder, "Sure, see yah."
Howard slammed down his drink and began to stomp off, adding, "I'm leaving, and none of you better tell Peter!"
Cosmo couldn't resist one last jab. "Why? Because you're scared?"
Howard paused, turning back to glare at Cosmo. "You know what? Tell him if you want. I don't give a f*ck..."
Rocket, already focused back on his work, replied absently, "Yeah, whatever. Just go already."
As Howard left, heading towards the hangar to commandeer a helicopter, Rocket's team continued their efforts, the atmosphere lightened by the departure of the grumpy duck.
In the hangar, Howard climbed into a helicopter, grumbling to himself. "They think I'm scared of Peter? Yeah, right…" He fired up the helicopter and took off, heading out to explore Earth on his own terms.
————
Hours after Howard's departure, Peter walked into the bustling hangar, his eyes sweeping over his crew—Groot, Cosmo, Rocket, Teefs, Lylla, and Floor—hard at work.
"Hey, everyone," Peter announced, drawing their attention. "I've finally explained to the others about aliens and all that. So if you want, you can stop hiding and introduce yourselves now."
A collective sigh of relief and a ripple of excitement washed over the group. They'd been in hiding for a while, and although they couldn't venture down to Earth, at least they could walk the halls of the Red Room freely.
Peter then turned to Revan, who had just opened his eyes from meditation. "I'm sorry, master, but with the Jedi on their way here, it's probably best you remain hidden. Thankfully, you're a force ghost, so it shouldn't be that hard."
Revan nodded, understanding the situation. "I understand. I'll remain out of sight."
Peter was grateful for Revan's easy agreement. He had already explained the looming threats of the Kree, the Sith, and Carol's predicament to his crew, so everyone understood the gravity of the situation.
"Alright," Peter continued, "why don't you all come and meet everyone?"
The crew, except for Revan who needed to stay hidden, agreed eagerly. They were excited to finally interact openly with the others.
However, as they were about to leave, Peter noticed someone missing. "Wait a minute, where's the alcoholic duck?"
Cosmo was about to rat him out, but Rocket beat her to it, surprisingly choosing to cover for Howard. "He's probably sleeping off his last bender on the ship."
Peter shrugged, accepting the explanation without much concern. "Whatever, let him sleep then."
…
Peter led Groot, Cosmo, Rocket, Teefs, Lylla, and Floor through the winding halls of the Red Room, making their way to the meeting room where Peggy, Xavier, Mystique, and Magneto were gathered around a table.
As they approached, the sound of Magneto's angry voice could be heard through the door. "Operation Paperclip," he was saying, his tone dripping with disdain. "Recruiting Nazis into your own organization? I can't believe the sheer idiocy of it. It's like willingly poisoning oneself. How could anyone be so stupid?"
Peter pushed the door open and stepped inside, the conversation halting as all eyes turned to him. "I see you've explained everything to him," Peter said, glancing at Peggy.
Peggy let out a sigh, nodding. "Yes, though I'm starting to regret it."
Magneto couldn't help but add a snide comment. "I'm sure it's not the only thing you regret."
Before the bickering could escalate, Peter drew everyone's attention. "Alright, let's keep it civil. Since I've revealed everything about me, I thought it would be a good idea for you to meet my crew."
He gestured for his crew to step forward. Groot, towering over everyone, waved a massive branch-like arm. "I am Groot," he said, his deep voice resonating through the room.
Peggy blinked in surprise. "Is that a tree...?"
Cosmo trotted forward next, her tail wagging. "Greetings, comrades. Cosmo is pleased to meet new friends."
"Is that a talking dog?" Mystique asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yes, and yes," Peter smirked, enjoying their reactions.
Rocket stepped forward. "Name's Rocket."
Teefs, Lylla, and Floor followed, each introducing themselves. "I'm Teefs," said the walrus-like creature, his mechanical tusks glinting.
"I'm Lylla," the otter chimed in, her voice soft but steady.
Floor, the small, roboticized rabbit, bounced forward. "I'm Floor!"
Xavier, Magneto, Peggy, and Mystique looked on with varying degrees of astonishment and curiosity.
Peter then gestured towards each of the assembled group. "This is Peggy Carter, Director of Shield. Professor Charles Xavier. Magneto, leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, and Mystique, one of his lackeys."
Mystique's eyes narrowed subtly at the introduction. "…"
Magneto's attention lingered on Rocket. "You're the one upgrading this base?" He recalled Peter's comment as they landed earlier.
Rocket crossed his arms. "Yeah, that's me. What about it?"
Magneto gazed at the rodent before him, an impressed expression on his face. "I can sense what you've done through the metal. It's quite... terrifying."
Rocket chuckled, taking the words as a compliment. "Thanks."
"?" Peter raised an eyebrow, curious about what Rocket could have done to actually scare Magneto.
Xavier's gaze was thoughtful as he looked over Peter's crew. "They're quite unique... Are they all aliens?"
Peter shook his head. "No, technically, the only alien here is Groot. The rest of us are from Earth."
Peggy glanced around the group before turning back to Peter. "How is that even possible?" she asked.
Magneto's eyes remained sharp with suspicion. "Yes, I don't believe I've encountered talking animals before..."
"It's kind of a long story..."
…
..
.
With his crew introduced and many questions answered, Peter took a seat at the head of the table, his crew standing behind him. He turned to Peggy and asked, "Did you find it?"
Peggy nodded, taking out a small black box and placing it on the table. "As you said, I found this in the wreckage Charles collected. It's the black box from Carol's ship. After some scans, we discovered that it's sending out a signal."
Peter picked up the black box and tossed it to Rocket, who caught it effortlessly. "Crack it open and make sure it's what we think it is, but don't stop the signal."
Magneto frowned. "Why shouldn't we stop the signal? It's possible they haven't realized she crashed yet."
Rocket, who had somehow already opened the box, spoke up. "That's not how this thing works. It only sends a signal once a ship has crashed. Which means they were alerted as soon as she went down."
Mystique's frown deepened. "I still don't see why we shouldn't destroy it. With it active, we're just telling the enemy where we are."
Peter shook his head. "That's the point. What do you think happens if the Kree arrive without a signal to follow? They'll simply attack at random. With this, we can lure them to an uninhabited area and fight without risking any innocent lives."
Peggy nodded in understanding. "In other words, we set a trap."
"Exactly," Peter confirmed. He then turned to Rocket, who had finished examining the black box. "Tell us about the upgrades you've been doing to the Red Room. We might be able to use it in the fight."
Grasping Peter's intention, Rocket smirked. "Glad you asked~"
…
..
.
After the strategy meeting, in which they detailed their plan to deal with the incoming invasion, it was decided that Hydra would have to wait until the alien threat was taken care of.
With everyone going their separate ways for the time being, Peter and his crew returned to their ship. However, as they entered the ship, Peter began to realize that something was off. "Where's Howard?" he muttered, looking around the ship.
He turned to ask Cosmo, who immediately took the chance to rat him out. "Howard took a helicopter and left. Said he was tired of hiding and wanted to explore Earth." She even glanced at Rocket, adding, "And he covered for him too."
Rocket's fur bristled with annoyance as he faced Cosmo. "Why'd you bring me into this, you mutt?!"
Cosmo shot Rocket a smug look. "Lying to the Captain is bad, and Cosmo is a good dog~" She declared, her tail wagging furiously.
Peter's eyes narrowed, more in exasperation than anger. "So, he just took off? Did he mention where he was going?"
Rocket sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Nope, but I'd bet anything he's in some bar right about now..."
————
Meanwhile, Tony Stark's private jet landed smoothly on the tarmac, the engines humming to a halt as the cabin door opened. Tony stepped out, looking every bit the billionaire playboy he was known to be. As he descended the steps, his phone buzzed with a notification from Jarvis.
"Sir, Peter Quill's current location is unknown."
Tony frowned, running a hand through his hair. "Great, just great. Guess we're going in blind," he muttered to himself. With no clear destination in mind, Tony decided to head straight to the airport bar to get himself a drink.
He strode into the bar, the atmosphere a mix of subdued conversations and the clinking of glasses. Taking a seat at the bar, he signaled the bartender. "Sex on the Beach," he ordered without batting an eye, his gaze wandering over the patrons.
As the bartender went to make his drink, Tony's attention was drawn to a commotion at the other end of the bar. A small, odd-looking figure was trying to hit on a group of girls, who were visibly freaked out by his appearance. They seemed to think he was just some tiny freak in a fur suit.
"Ahh, come on, baby. There's no reason to be so cold," Howard slurred drunkenly. "You know, once you go duck, you—"
"Get out of here, freak!" one of the women interrupted. "We told you already, we're not interested. Go take your creepy costume somewhere else!"
Tony watched in amusement as the figure, clearly drunk and not taking the rejection well, returned to the bar, taking a seat close to him. The closer look made Tony question whether it was truly a costume or not. 'It's so lifelike… Could he actually be a mutant?'
Howard glared at the girls who had rejected him, muttering angrily to himself. "Stupid humans, don't know a good thing when they see it."
Tony chuckled, taking a sip of his freshly made cocktail. "Tough night, huh?"
"You could say that." Howard glanced over at Tony, his annoyance fading slightly. "Women, am I right?"
Tony smirked. "I hear you. Though I have to say, you're not exactly dressed to pick up chicks..."
Howard rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no kidding."
…
..
.
Tony and Howard were leaning heavily against the bar. Tony's tie was loose, and Howard's hat was askew. The bartender lined up another round of shots.
Tony laughed, almost spilling his drink. "You know, I never thought I'd be drinking with a duck."
Howard smirked. "And I never thought I'd be drinking with a billionaire."
…
..
.
Patrons gathered around Tony and Howard, forming a semi-circle and chanting loudly.
"Chug! Chug! Chug!"
They both tilted their heads back, the frothy beer cascading down their throats.
Tony chugged quickly, wiping his mouth as he finished. Howard matched Tony sip for sip, slamming his stein down.
…
..
.
The bar was quieter now, the night crowd thinning out. Tony and Howard were visibly drunk, their speech slurred, and their movements exaggerated.
Tony patted Howard on the back. "You're... you're alright, you know that?"
Howard chuckled, swaying on his stool. "You're not so bad yourself, Stark."
…
..
.
Thoroughly inebriated, Howard slammed his glass down. "And you know what else? I'm not afraid of anyone! They all think I'm scared of Peter, but I'm not! He can just be a little too intense sometimes, that's all, I swear…"
Tony's ears perked up at the mention of that name. 'Peter?'
A/N: 2419 words :)
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