Master Souls Revived: Part 17, The Forest of Mist

When we last saw our heroes, they fought an alternate version of Scott/Rocket. While they ultimately succeeded, Groot’s life was taken. What will happen next? Let’s find out.
Raidra woke up. She left her room and entered the lounge to find the team waiting for her. “Morning, everybody!” Raidra greeted cheerfully. Everyone greeted her back except for Scott. Concerned, Raidra asked, “Scott, are you okay?”
“I had a terrible nightmare,” Scott replied.
“Want to tell us about it, or is it private?”
Feeling he should tell the others, Scott explained, “I dreamt that Earth was destroyed as we were close by.”
“Was it Thanos again?”
Peter piped up, telling Scott, “You probably dreamt that because of your hatred towards humans.”
Raidra looked at Peter. “Like he wants to be rid of all of us?”
Scott answered, “I had no idea who did it, and I don’t think so, Peter.”
“Oh,” replied Raidra.
 
Tristan offered, “Okay, so this might have been a message. Keep guards up, everyone.”
His theory made a lot of sense to Raidra. “A premonition dream, eh? That’s unsettling.” Remembering the Halloween Man incident, she added, “You know, I had something like that not too long ago.”
Shadow began, “But nothing happe-”
Before he could finish, the Earth glowed blue and blew up all the cities & civilians on it.
“Well, shoot,” responded Raidra, too stunned to react any other way.
“TAKE UP THE SHIELDS!” ordered Scott in alarm.
As the ship activated the shields, Shadow said, “Never mind.”
Raidra cried while HM stared in sorrow. A shocked Peter asked, “How could this have happened…”
“There must be survivors!” Scott offered.
Raidra asked, “Was… Was it another snap?”
Peter realized, “Wait, I thought I did hear one…”
“Overpowered jerks!” exclaimed Scott.
Raidra turned to Alex. “Alex, did you hear anything?”
Before Alex could answer, he and everyone but Tristan, Raidra, Scott, and Peter turned to dust. “NO!” cried Raidra in shock and horror.
“WHAT THE HECK!?” Tristan cried in shock.
Scott stared in despair. “My life is a total misery.”
Peter offered, “Maybe there are survivors.”
“Hopefully,” replied Tristan.
Trying to think of a solution, Raidra offered, “There has to be a way to bring them back! The Cosmic Cube or something.”
“Maybe…” Tristan replied.
Scott replied, “Wait… there is definitely something we could use there.”
“Really?” asked Raidra.
“Yes.”
Peter looked doubtful. “Are you lying, Scott?”
Raidra told Peter, “He wouldn’t lie about something like that.” 
Scott nodded. “No, we can totally save them with it.”
Raidra asked Scott, “Do you know where it is?”
“It’s in the Amazon forest.”
“Where you were born…” observed Tristan.
“The one that just got blown up?” asked Raidra worriedly. “Or did it survive?”
Scott explained, “Of course it must have been destroyed. However, the object must still be there.”
Raidra thought about this and admitted, “That makes sense.” She added, “Thank the Lord there’s still a chance.”
Peter asked the AI, “Okay, Dad, land us there.”
As they travelled, Raidra sadly commented, “I miss joking about My Mother the Car with the gang…”
The ship landed in the Amazon rainforest. Scott reflected, “All my life has been stripped away… except for the trees.”
Raidra reflected, “It’s like we’ve gone back in time…”
Peter remarked, “That would be confusing.” 
Tristan looked around. “There’s lots of mist, though.”
Raidra explained, “I didn’t mean literally. I meant the forest is in a primeval state.” 
Rocket went in his secret lab and came back with heavy armor and weapons. Rocket wore golden armor and Peter wore his fighting suit. Raidra donned silver armor. She also took out a light cube so she could see in the mist. 
“The mist is a little creepy,” she noted.
“Well, that ain’t stopping us,” Scott replied.
“Yep!” She showed off her armor. “How’s this?”
“Nice,” replied Tristan.
“Thanks!”
Making sure the others wouldn’t worry, Tristan added, “And I don’t need armor.”
Scott answered, “Okay, then, if you say so.”
Raidra responded, “Your suit is enough, eh?” 
“Yep,” Tristan replied.
“I trust your judgment.”
“Follow my lead,” ordered Scott. He added, “Oh, yes, and my real name is Scott Clerkson.”
Raidra commented, “I’ve never met a raccoon with an alias before. Should I call you ‘Scott’ or ‘Mr. Clerkson’? Or stick with Rocket?”
“You can call me Scott or Rocket.”
“Okay, Scott. I’m Kara.”
“Nice name.”
“Thank you!”
Scott got out of the ship with a laser gun in hand. Peter followed. 
Raidra took out more light cubes. “These should help us see. Here, both of you take one.”
They took them and then the group ventured inside the forest. Peter announced, “I hope we don’t end up at someplace more dangerous.”
Raidra solemnly announced, “I just realized… my mentor, The Endurance, is probably gone too.”
“Oh… yeah,” Tristan replied. “Where was he at?”
“He operates out of Virginia, but he goes wherever he’s needed as well. He taught me about never giving up.”
“Typical lesson,” Scott cracked.
Raidra looked irritated, but then joked, “If you feel that way, I could give up and leave you alone.”
“Let’s not start a fight now,” Tristan told her.
“I was just joking,” Raidra reassured.
Tristan looked ahead. “We arrived at-”
Scott cut him off. “My home!” His eyes started to brim.
Raidra sympathetically told Scott, “I’m sure it’s emotional coming back here.”
Scott saw his now destroyed shed. “He took… he tried to erase my past…”
“Who? Was it whoever did this?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” He tightened his hand into a fist. “I will make him pay.”
Raidra had a realization. “Scott… this may be vengeance against you. The destruction of Earth, all of it.”
Scott glared at her. “How could this have been my fault!?”
“Not your fault,” she explained reassuringly. “I meant someone may hate you this much.” 
Peter noted, “Well, you were a jerk to lots of people.”
Raidra added, “Some people go insane over imagined wrongs. Is there anyone who may hate you that much?”
Scott replied, “I have no idea. Maybe… never mind…”
“Well, let’s focus on getting that item you mentioned. We’ll worry about whoever did this and why later.”
Scott searched the ashes of the shed. He found an orange orb in the ash.
“Ooh, an orange!” Raidra called.
Tristan laughed out loud before telling her, “It’s more than that.”
She looked more carefully. “Oh, yeah…”
Peter added, “Yes, it’s floating.”
Raidra stared. “How did I not notice that? I guess I’m a little overwhelmed.”
Scott asked, “Have you ever seen the other Rocket before? Before the fight?”
Raidra replied, “I hadn’t, no. Peter?”
“Nope,” replied Peter.
“I have,” answered Tristan
“I wondered about that!” Raidra told him. “Was there a fight?”
 
Before Tristan could answer her, the orb morphed into a triangle. “I’m not touching that,” declared Peter.
“What does the change in shape mean?” Raidra asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Scott. He grabbed it.
Raidra looked baffled. “You don’t know? You don’t have a manual or anything?”
Scott didn’t respond. He was frozen there with wide eyes. Raidra moved a hand in front of his eyes, but there was still no response.
Peter called, “Scott…” Tristan stood in silence, unsure of how to react.
Raidra offered, “I think he’s seeing something in the triangle.”
However, Scott’s veins became orange and the color went into the triangle. He fell unconscious as the triangle turned off. 
“My mistake,” corrected Raidra. “Some power was absorbed into that thing!” Raidra checked his body. “His vitals are okay.”
Peter ran to Scott and shook him. Scott revived and groaned, “Agh, my head.”
Raidra questioned, “Scott, do you remember what happened?”
Scott looked at Peter, “HEY, LET ME GO, PETER!”
“Give him some room,” Raidra instructed. Before Peter could move, Scott kicked him in the stomach. “That seemed unnecessary!” Raidra commented in alarm.
Scott fell on two legs. He told the others, “I saw the other Rocket… and he deserved it.”
“You saw a flashback, or was it an alternate reality?”
“Alternate reality.”
“Dang, that other Rocket can’t stay out of trouble.”
“Don’t ever kick me again,” warned Peter.
However, Scott seemed too stunned by his experience to respond to Peter. He continued, “He was the science experiment.”
“The one Shadow mentioned?” asked Raidra.
“Yes, the one I supposedly killed.”
“‘Supposedly’? He survived in this reality?”
“He didn’t fight me back then.”
“I see.”
“So you saw his past,” observed Tristan.
“Travelling between universes is probably complicated,” Raidra reflected. “Same with looking through time.”
Scott told them, “I think this triangle could only work with his DNA, and it was injected into mine. The triangle has absorbed it.”
Raidra asked, “That’s why you passed out, huh? Can you still use it?”
Scott took the triangle, but before he could try anything, the group realized people were approaching. Everyone hid, with Scott and Peter both hiding with Tristan. They watched two men approach.
“I knew he was here,” the man named Xcantric stated.
“He took the DNA transferring machine,” declared the one named Flint.
“SEARCH THE FOREST!”
“Okay, boss…”
Raidra wondered, “Who are those guys?” She drew a weapon and waited.
However, Flint and Xcantric went away. Scott got out of hiding and watched them go.
“Who were they?” Raidra asked.
“They are the ones who created Rocket,” Scott told her.
“Have you seen them before?”
“Oh, I’ve seen the- nope, I did not.”
“Um…”
Peter asked Scott, “Uhm, are you hiding something?”
“No, I messed up my wording,” Scott claimed.
“Scott, you can trust me. Come on now.”
Raidra proposed, “Did you confuse those two for someone else?”
Scott refused to answer. “Tell us, Scott,” Peter instructed.
Raidra added, “If you know about them, telling us will help.”
“It’s none of your concern,” Scott replied. Peter took the triangle. “NO! DO NOT OPEN IT!” Scott cried.
 
Peter had a realization. “Oh, wait… I think I know.”
“Don’t even say it!”
“Scott is the general of the universe. I saw him get in my shed.”
“The General of the Universe?” asked Raidra in confusion and amazement.
Scott scolded Peter. “YOU IDIOT, YOU RUINED MY IDENTITY!”
Peter noted, “So you saved Rocket.”
“Yes…” His voice trailed off.
“Too bad he was an ingrate,” Raidra commented. “What is the General of the Universe? I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Peter explained, “Well, the General of the universe is the one who saved the lives of many and saved universes.”
“Really?” She turned back to Scott. “You helped all those people? That’s impressive!”
Scott responded, “I stopped doing it a long time ago.”
Raidra nodded sympathetically. “I’d say it’s a tremendous weight to bear.”
“It’s because of the damages it can cause to the universes being destroyed or mixed.”
“We have to destroy this village to save it, eh?”
“What village?” asked Tristan.
“It’s an expression saying sometimes you damage something when trying to fix it. I’m not entirely sure I get it myself.”
Scott replied, “Oh. Well, exposing me might have ruined one.”
Raidra reassured, “We’ll keep your secret, don’t worry. Even if the tabloids offered big bucks.”
Unfortunately, Xcantric and Flint came back and noticed the team’s presence. “Who is that!?” called Xcantric.
“Oh, great…” sighed Scott.
Raidra resisted the temptation to reply, “Nobody!” It didn’t matter as Xcantric & Flint spotted the heroes and ran at them. Raidra drew weapons and warned, “Don’t mess with me!”
Ignoring her threat, Xcantric spotted Scott and shouted, “OH, IT’S MY CREATION! GET HIM!”
“‘Creation’?” She glanced at Scott. “I thought Tristan created you!” Flint shot at Scott. “SCOTT!” Thankfully, Scott avoided the shot. “Oh, thank goodness!”
Scott snapped, “You’re mistaken! I’m not your creation!”
“I HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE!” Xcantric told him.
An aggravated Raidra scolded, “Dude, not all raccoons look like! Stop being racist!”
Peter laughed. “HOW DARE YOU!” Xcantric shouted.
Xcantric threw a grenade at Raidra. However, she stepped aside and her armor protected her. Peter shot Xcantric and hit him. He fell on the ground and groaned.
“You should leave,” Peter told him.
“Give me my creation,” ordered Xcantric.
Raidra responded, “He’s not your creation!” She looked at the others. “We can prove it, right?”
Fed up, Scott bellowed, “SHUT UP, YOU CRAZY SCIENTIST! YOU THINK YOU’RE THE BOSS OF ME!”
“You made that other Rocket, didn’t you?” Raidra asked Xcantric. “Where did you come from?”
Before Xcantric could give any sort of answer, Scott got his machine laser gun out. “Wow, where did you get that?” Xcantric asked.
“I made it myself. Now be ready to die for your actions to your own creation!”
Scott was about to pull the trigger, but wasn’t sure if he should do it. Eventually he declared, “I can’t shoot him…”
“Why not?” asked Peter. “He can be easily killed.”
“He’s not from this universe.”
Xcantric commanded, “Flint, get him!” However, Flint ran away.
“It’s hard to find good help these days,” cracked Raidra. “Should we go after him?”
Scott replied, “No, he isn’t the crazy one here.”
“Okay.”
Xcantric finally seemed to recognize Scott. “Wait, I remember you. You’re that well-dressed raccoon that freed all my creations.”
“Correct. Now I will let you leave, but don’t cause any more trouble or your end is coming next.”
Peter took his gun and let him go. Xcantric ran away.
Raidra asked, “You think he came through the triangle?”
“Didn’t seem like it,” Scott replied.
“So, beings from other universes are somehow entering ours… that complicates things.”
“That’s why I left my role as general.”
“I understand. It can get overwhelming when you deal with so many things.”
“And also Peter was right; I did lie. There’s nothing else here to get.”
Raidra looked disappointed. “No more oranges?”
“I wanted to see my past again, but instead I got another one. This isn’t fair.”
“Sometimes trying to avoid problems only causes you to encounter more. It’s a sad thing.”
“We must avenge all these people that died.”
“Yes! The Amazon Forest Avengers!” Scoot facepalmed. “Or not. I got a little excited.”
Peter offered, “Let’s stick with the Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“Yeah,” agreed Tristan.
Raidra nodded. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Guardians of the Galaxy it is!”
Everyone went back into the ship. Scott began, “By the way, Raidra.”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I should be general again?”
She thought about it before advising, “I think it might be best to find a successor, maybe multiple successors. The Endurance trains other vigilantes so they can take over if he can’t continue. You should find capable people who you can trust.”
“But giving it out to others may ruin other universes.”
“You need to consider your options, whether it’s best for you to resume your position or leave it to others. There’s always a chance something may go wrong. Unless you’re immortal, your reign will stop someday anyway.”
“No, I must keep the secret.”
“If you feel that’s best.”
“But I can make you my helper.”
She was surprised. “You think I can do it?”
“Yes, of course. We should start tomorrow.”
She nodded in humble appreciation. “Thank you. I promise to live up to the trust you’ve placed in me.”
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Category:Raidra
Category:Master Souls