Master Souls Revived: Part 15, Rocket Power

When we last saw our heroes, they managed to evade a horde of animatronics and destroy The Blue Man, but they lost Jack the Stalker in the process. We now see what new situation awaits them.
Raidra informed Tristan, “I spoke with my mentor, The Endurance. He’s sad to learn of Jack’s passing.”
Tristan replied, “Don’t worry. We’ll meet him again, I just know it.”
“I also had that feeling,” agreed Gtd.
“You’re right,” Raidra agreed. “It’s time to begin the next mission.”
Tristan asked the group, “Alright, so have you heard of the most wanted robber in the universe?”
“I’m not sure that I have,” Raidra replied.
“I did,” piped up Shadow.
She turned to Shadow. “Tell me about him. Is it a person or some other entity?”
“He’s a humanoid raccoon that is of a small size.”
“Brown, black and white ,” added Tristan.
Raidra realized, “Oh, wait, I saw a video about him! He’s tricky.”
Trying to remember, Shadow pondered, “I thought I saw a movie with him in it?”
“I have more than a feeling you did.”
Shadow looked at Tristan. “But he ain’t real, right…”
Tristan replied, “Well… in this realm he is.”
HM noted, “I don’t like thieves, like bullies that steal candy from children when they’re trick-or-treating.”
“No, not that kind of robber.”
He became concerned. “Worse than stealing candy from children?”
Equally concerned, Raidra asked, “What, does he steal life-force or something?”
Tristan shook his head and explained, “He steals weapons, armor, and expensive stuff.”
“Oh.” She and HM had mistakenly thought Tristan had meant he was a worse thief, but now they realized he just meant he was a different kind of thief.
Shadow held his Chaos Emerald more tightly. “So why talk about him, then?”
“We gotta find him,” explained Gtd.
“And arrest him!” offered HM.
“No,” replied Tristan.
“WHY NOT!?” he asked in shock.
Raidra noted, “Plus, if he steals our weapons, that would leave us vulnerable. I bet he’d love to take our diamond armor and tools.”
Tristan replied, “Well, hold them tightly because we are going to recruit him here.”
“WHAT!?” exclaimed Shadow.
“Really?” asked a surprised Raidra.
“Yes,” responded Tristan. “Even if he is a robber, he’s still meant to be one of us.”
“If you say so, then I trust you. Maybe he just became corrupted along the way.”
“How will we find him?” asked HM.
“There’s this spaceship we have,” replied Gtd.
Shadow asked, “Wait, really?”
Tristan explained, “Peter Quill gave it to me.”
Raidra responded, “I’m sure it’s in good condition, then.”
“Yes, it has an excellent AI and autopilot.”
Alex announced, “I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Okay, then let’s proceed.”
The gang boarded the ship. Shadow offered, “I’ve dealt with technology like this before if you need help.”
The AI spoke. “Hello there, and who might you be?”
“I’m Raidra!”
“The one and only Shadow the Hedgehog!”
“I’m the Halloween Man.”
“Ah, so you are the Master Souls. Peter has told me about you.”
Raidra noted, “Wow, the AI is smart! It recognized that Master Souls is an eccentric organization.”
The AI announced, “Now it is time to search for Rocket.”
“We’re ready!” called HM.
“I have a question,” announced Raidra.
“Yes?” asked the AI.
“Since Alex is a wolf and our target is a raccoon, could his predator abilities help track him?”
“Probably, but for now we can use a radar.”
“Okay. Makes sense.”
A radar projection appeared and the spaceship started to take off.
Raidra started singing, “We’re going on a trip in our favorite rocketship…”
“Shut it!” snapped Shadow.
Tristan laughed while HM sighed, “Ugh, let’s just get goin’.”
The ship went into the atmosphere. Raidra noted, “This is the first time I’ve been this high. Are there sodas and snacks on this flight?”
The AI replied, “Yes, there are snacks in the fridge. Only three of them exist in this realm at the moment.”
“Realm-dependent snacks, huh? I’ll save them in case we need them.”
“Okay. Rocket should be shown as a dark-colored light on the radar.”
HM announced, “I’ll keep an eye on the radar, then.” As he walked over to the screen, he asked, “I have another question. Where are the other members of the Guardians?”
Raidra added, “I heard a rumor that… something happened to them.”
Before the AI could respond, Peter came in. “Oh, hey, guys!”
“HA, YOU SCARED ME!” shrieked Shadow.
“Wait, where’d you come from?” asked Raidra.
“I’ve been sleeping,” Peter replied.
“Makes sense. Nice rocketship.”
“Thanks. So, you guys came to bring Rocket back.”
“Yes.”
Shadow asked, “What happened to him, anyway?”
Instead of replying, Peter told the AI, “Dad, show us the robbers.”
“Sure, son,” the AI replied.
HM started, “Oh, there… wait, what? The AI is your dad?”
“Well, his soul is,” replied Peter.
“Oh, okay,” replied Raidra. “That makes more sense than what I was thinking.”
“Anyone remember that show My Mother the Car?” asked HM.
“Sure,” the AI replied.
“I do not,” Tristan replied. “Never watched it.”
“Maybe we can set My Mother the Car and My Father the AI on a date,” joked Raidra. As the AI replaced the radar with images of all the robbers, of the universe, she explained, “It was about a guy’s mother who was reincarnated as a car.”
“Oh,” replied Tristan simply. There really wasn't much else to say about such a bizarre show premise.
“Okay, that’s just weird,” remarked Shadow.
Peter looked at the screen. “Uhm, that’s weird… Rocket is not in the results.”
“Maybe he decided to stop being a robber?” offered Raidra.
“Just as long as he didn’t get reincarnated as a freakin’ car!” responded Shadow.
Peter agreed, “Yeah, that is just weird.”
The AI noted, “Well, nobody ever saw him as he stole, so he’s just a supposed word of mouth.”
“So he may be faking being a robber?” asked Raidra.
Peter shook his head. “I saw him steal myself and he is very skilled at it.”
“Okay, so we have a witness.”
“I think I know where he is.”
“Is it at-”
Shadow interrupted, barking, “DON’T SAY AT A CAR SHOW!”
Peter agreed, “Enough cars, gosh darn it!”
“Sorry,” apologized Raidra.
Tristan added, “Yeah, Shadow. I will make you into a car if you keep this up.”
Shadow angrily did a double take at the comment and pointed at Raidra. “She started it! Anyway, you were saying?”
Peter replied, “I think he’s somewhere at Area 51.”
“Oh, super!” responded Raidra in mild aggravation. “It’s going to look really great if we land the spaceship there!”
“Destination set to Area 51,” the AI announced.
The spaceship became invisible. “That works!” remarked Raidra.
The spaceship landed in the deserted area nearby Area 51. “Why would he come here?” Shadow questioned.
“Maybe he wanted privacy,” offered Raidra.
Alex announced, “Okay, I’m ready to help track him!”
Peter held out some clothes and instructed, “Put these invisible clothes on.”
Everyone put the clothes on, turning them invisible to others. Raidra noted, “Makes sense. It would be weird if visible people got out of an invisible ship.”
“Rocket created this clothing,” Peter explained.
“Now we’re using them to help pursue him. It’s ironic.”
“Actually, he created every weapon and armor here.”
“Any idea why he started stealing things if he’s so skilled at making them? Did he want another challenge?”
“Well, he stole his entire life from humans in the Amazon Forest as it was easier in his opinion.”
“Makes sense.”
Everyone got out of the ship. Peter asked, “Do you guys have weapons?”
“Yes,” replied Raidra.
“I have the sword of creation,” replied Tristan.
Shadow said nothing, but clutched his Chaos Emerald tightly in his fist.
“Some of you can stay in the ship,” announced Peter.
“Any volunteers for staying?” asked Raidra.
“I’m joining you,” announced Gtd.
“Me too,” added Tristan.
“That’s good to hear!” replied Raidra.
“I’m staying,” announced Shadow.
“Okay. Whichever you prefer.”
“Me too,” added HM.
“Well, I’m coming,” responded Alex.
Raidra asked, “So we have me, Tristan, Gtd, Alex, and Peter going while Shadow, HM, and AI guard the ship.”
“Exactly,” answered Tristan.
“Now let’s move,” instructed Peter.
The group set out. Everyone moved silently. After a while Raidra told the others, “I had a thought… maybe we should set something conspicuous as bait.”
“That could work,” replied Tristan.
Peter picklocked the front door of the base, allowing everyone to move inside. Raidra took out something from her weapons cloak. “I have a dagger with an emerald in its handle.” She handed it to Tristan.
“Uhm, okay then,” he replied as he took it. “Okay, everyone, it’s time to find him.”
“Right!”
Alex looked at Raidra, “Wait, why did you have that?”
“Sometimes you just need an emerald-handled dagger, that’s why.”
“I guess…” replied Tristan.
Guards passed. The group stayed still. One of the guards asked the other, “Don’t you smell that…”
“Yeah, it smells raccoon-like,” answered the other guard.
Alex watched the guards as they continued to walk. Scoring was heard from the first hallway. The guards ran at the sound, guns in hand.
Raidra whispered, “It looks like we didn’t need bait after all.”
However, it turned out to be just a normal raccoon eating trash. “I hate this job,” sighed one of the guards.
“False alarm…” sighed Raidra.
The guards checked outside. Tristan used the opportunity to ask, “OK, Alex, do you smell something?”
“Yes, there’s something down that hallway,” replied Alex.
They slowly followed the person. “It’s just a guard,” said Tristan.
Peter replied, “But maybe it was Rocket morphed into a guard.”
“Darn it, I hadn’t thought about that!”
Raidra asked, “Gtd, can you use your power to dispel shapeshifting?”
Tristan proposed, “Let’s follow the guard.”
Gtd told him, “That is a bad idea. That could alarm everyone.”
Raidra asked, “Do we have any spying devices?”
Gtd offered, “I could morph into a guard and check him out.”
Gtd morphed into a guard and followed the other one. “That works!” remarked Raidra. “I’m glad he’s here.”
“Now let’s wait,” instructed Tristan.
In a minute or two, Gtd teleported back. “Did you learn anything?” Raidra asked him.
“It’s him,” the angel replied. “Let’s sneak to him.”
“Okay!”
Everyone snuck to the cloning room. Raidra read the conveniently placed sign and asked, “Is anyone else concerned that there’s a cloning room?”
The group found Rocket standing in front of a containment pipe with Groot inside.
Raidra began, “Peter, isn’t that…”
Peter nodded. “Yes. Seems like Groot has been taken away for testing or something… like Rocket’s parents…”
“That’s sad,” she noted sympathetically.
Rocket spoke to the imprisoned Groot. “Don’t worry, Groot. I’ll get ya out in no time.”
Raidra noted, “So he just wanted to free his friend. We should help them.”
Peter called, “Hey, Rocket! Can you hear me?”
Rocket looked behind him and saw the group. “I can see you with these glasses! What are you doing here!?”
“We want to help you,” answered Raidra.
Rocket looked at Raidra and Tristan with some degree of distrust. “Who are you?”
“I’m Alex.”
“I’m Raidra.”
“And I’m Tristan.”
“And I’m Gtd.”
“We thought you were about to steal something,” explained Peter.
“Instead it turns out to be a rescue mission,” finished Raidra.
Rocket had mixed feelings. “Oh, Peter. You are a true idiot! You could have been caught.”
“Yes, but he had backup,” Raidra pointed out.
Peter told Rocket, “Never mind that and let’s get Groot out.”
“No, I’ll do this myself.”
“Why?” asked Raidra. “Do you feel responsible for what happened to him?”
“No, it’s because I don’t want you guys to touch him.”
Alex looked at his hands as if to say, “I’m clean enough!” Peter told the group, “Yeah, he’s pretty grumpy…”
Raidra remarked, “Well, I wouldn’t want strangers touching me either, so I understand.”
Rocket grabbed a laser pointer. He aimed the laser pointer at the glass and formed a circle with it. The glass was removed and he grabbed Groot. He also grabbed the glass before it fell. However, he struggled with carrying Groot.
“I forgot how heavy he is,” Rocket noted to no one in particular.
“Are you okay?” asked Raidra.
Rocket bristled at the thought of needing help, but he relented. “Ugh, I guess I have no choice. Peter, grab him.”
“Okay, then.” He grabbed Groot over his shoulder.
“What kind of shape is he in?” inquired Raidra. “Does he need food or water?”
Rocket told her, “No, it’s fine. It’s just that he was too heavy.”
“If Groot is too weak to walk himself, he should be taken to the sick bay.” She looked at the hole in the glass and noted, “I hope there’s not an alarm system.”
The alarm started. “Well, shoot,” Raidra responded.
Rocket ordered, “GET OUT NOW!” He took the vents.
“Not without Groot!” Raidra told him.
“Let us handle that!”
Tristan ordered, “OK, let’s run!”
“All right!” agreed Raidra.
The group ran to the first set of stairs. Raidra remarked, “I trust them, but it’s hard to flee rather than help!” She saw guards aiming at them with laser guns. “Shields up!”
She heard Peter announce, “You’ve made a terrible mistake.”
She turned to look at him. “What!?” She saw Peter shoot a guard in the face. “Oh, dang!”
A guard shouted, “HEY, YOU JERK!” presumably at Peter.
Raidra turned back to the others. “Um, yeah, let’s keep running!”
Peter shot the other guard and the rest of the gang went up the stairs. Other guards were shooting the vents. Rocket was inside, avoiding the lasers.
Rocket called, “HA, YOU HUMANS ARE ALL B**TARDS!”
Under her breath, Raidra mouthed, “Schmuck…” She asked Tristan, “Are you sure he’s supposed to be on our team?”
“Yes.”
Rocket held a huge laser gun, causing the guards to yell, “OH, RETREAT!”
Raidra told Tristan, “Okay. Well, nobody’s perfect. We have killers, so why not an insulting raccoon?”
The call to retreat came too late for the guards as they all got shot and became ash. The group kept running to a large containment chamber. Raidra reflected, “All this death and destruction because they couldn’t just leave talking alien trees alone! Live and let live!”
The door shut behind them. Alex looked around. “Who’s contained here…”
Gtd replied, “It’s a deadly cat animatronic from Freddy’s Hotel.”
Raidra looked at the cat animatronic, which was red & purple with sharp teeth. “Oh. Let’s not rescue that one.” It approached them, causing Raidra to sigh, “It’s always something…”
“I’m sorry…” apologized Tristan.
“Aw, it’s not your fault they stored a killer animatronic here,” reassured Raidra.
Rocket fell from the vents into the room. Alex told him, “I think you picked the wrong room to fall into.”
“Well, get into position,” instructed Gtd.
Rocket glared at the animatronic. “YOU SCRAP METAL SCUM!” He shot the robot with the laser gun, but the laser bounced back. “NO! THIS CAN’T BE!”
As Gtd protected the others with a shield, Rocket took his laser sword. He tried to cut the animatronic, but to no avail. He then got pushed on a wall.
“What do we do!?” called Tristan.
Raidra called, “Rocket, you need to let us help you!”
“What can you do!?” he asked.
Peter noted, “I’ve never seen such a strong animatronic.”
Rocket sighed. “FINE, I accept your help.”
Raidra sprayed a mist to damage the animatronic’s joints. However, it did nothing. “Dang!”
The animatronic approached Rocket, but Peter distracted it. The robot turned and chased the group.
Raidra asked, “Do you think the robot has been enhanced supernaturally?”
Gtd replied, “No, he was just created to survive in harsh situations.”
“In that case, some holy power should be helpful against it.”
Rocket stood up. He hadn’t paid much attention to their conversation since he had gotten an idea. He jumped on the robot and grabbed on. “I will deactivate him manually!”
As the robot tried to shake Rocket off, Raidra warned, “It may have defense against that. Do you have protective clothing?”
“No,” Tristan observed.
“I forgot to give ‘em…” lamented Peter.
“Gtd, cast a shield of protection on him!” shouted Raidra.
Groot woke up and saw the carnage. He launched toward the robot.
“The tree’s awake!” announced Alex.
Rocket cried, “NO, IT’S TOO DANGEROUS, GROOT!”
Despite Rocket’s warning, Groot attacked. Rocket managed to open the hatch at the back of the animatronic. As he did, however, Groot’s arm got eaten.
“It’s disarming him!” quipped Raidra.
“Boo!” called Alex while giving her a thumbs down.
“It’s too risky to attack,” warned Tristan.
“I TOLD YOU, GROOT!” cried Rocket. He peered into the robot. “Oh, there’s a skeleton in this animatronic…”
“Kick its bones!” proposed Raidra.
Alex asked, “Wait, so it’s haunted?”
“THAT MUST BE ONE OF MR. DAVID’S VICTIMS!” realized Rocket.
Raidra reflected, “Haunted and technologically enhanced… terrible combination!”
Instead of kicking the robot’s bones, Rocket lit a match and burned them. The animatronic screamed and blew up. Raidra asked, “So that’s how you break the curse, eh?”
Rocket got flung onto the floor. Gtd undid the shield. “ROCKET!” cried Peter. He went to Rocket.
“Is it over?” asked Raidra.
Alex checked on Groot. Groot’s arm grew back.
Peter asked Rocket, “Are you okay?”
Rocket coughed. “I’m okay.” He stood up slowly.
“Let’s get out of here,” Raidra proposed. She grabbed a comment card off the wall.
Alex saw this and asked, “Wait, they have comment cards!?”
“Yes, and I’m going to leave some complaints!”
Gtd announced, “Hey, I know who caused all this.”
“Really?” asked Raidra. “Who?”
“It was Mr. Emory. I saw him.”
“That explains the animatronic- if I’m thinking of the right person.”
“He created many creatures with his stick or whatever it is.”
“It’s always bad when someone sticks it to you.”
Rocket sighed, “Nothing makes sense anymore… the rocketship, the one who creates things!”
Raidra suggested, “Let’s get you and Groot in the sick bay and then worry about all that, okay?”
“Okay…”
Everyone exited the base. Raidra continued, “Once we’ve all rested and have clear heads, we can decide what to do next, right, Tristan?”
“Yes,” Tristan agreed.
Everyone entered the ship. Tristan told the team, “So it’s time to clear things up. Any questions on the current situation?”
Raidra asked, “Do you think the animatronic was captured, or was it given to the organization?”
Gtd replied, “It was most likely given for monetary purposes.”
“I see. Unloading deadly creations for quick cash.”
Shadow looked behind Rocket confused. Rocket noticed and snapped, “Hey, don’t look at my butt, you freak!”
“I was looking at your back…”
“Why?”
“To see if you were a science experiment.”
Rocket slapped Shadow. “Oh, jeez,” sighed Tristan.
“You are the science experiment!” Rocket told Shadow.
Raidra told them, “You’re both equally freaks of nature, okay?”
Peter said, “Let’s calm down and talk maturely.”
Rocket explained, “Look, I’m not the Rocket you saw ‘in that movie.’ I’m a different version from whatever this universe is.”
“So you’re an anomaly,” noted Raidra.
“Yes, and Tristan is very familiar to me.” He thoughtfully added, “As if he created me.”
Raidra turned to Tristan. “So that’s why you had so much trust in him.”
“Yes… I have no idea how he remembered, though.”
“Who created Groot then?” asked Shadow.
Rocket replied, “I did because I was lonely in the Amazon Forest.”
Raidra noted, “It’s no wonder you’re so close.”
“Indeed.”
HM asked, “And why do you hate humans so much?”
Rocket’s hand clenched into a fist. “They kidnapped my parents.”
Raidra hung her head sadly. “That’s bad, sure enough.”
Rocket punched the table. Then he started to cry. Raidra looked up and told him, “I see you have emotional scars. I know about that.”
Peter told Tristan and the others, “Well, if you guys need us in your team, then we are agreeing.”
“We could use the help,” replied Raidra.
Recovering a little, Rocket announced, “Well, you’ve got the right team.”
“Welcome, all of you!”
“I’m sorry for my anger issues…”
“We understand. We can help you.”
“But how?”
“Empathy, counselling, talking, etc.”
“Oh, I thought you would bring up time travel.”
“Oh. Well, we’ll see about that.”
Shadow began, “Yeah, th-”
Tristan cut him off. “No, it doesn’t exist in this world. I removed it.”
Raidra nodded in agreement with his wise decision. “Yeah, time travel can be very dangerous, so that’s for the best.”
“Yes.”
“Are there Avengers in this world?” asked Rocket.
“Yes,” replied Tristan, “but they don’t have the same team members.”
Shadow started, “OK, but did you know that it was possible to see other universes and live through them here? I have this chao-” He reached for his Chaos Emerald, but it wasn’t there. “Where is it!?”
Rocket laughed and threw it at him, having pickpocketed it earlier. As Shadow glared, Raidra zipped up her pockets.
Previous: Master Souls Revived: Part 14, The Unhappiest Place on Earth
Next: Master Souls Revived: Part 16, Bad Copy
Category:Raidra
Category:Master Souls