Prison Break

---

At this moment, one of the prisoners said, "Drax, you've killed a lot of Ronan's men."

Drax stepped forward, eyes fixed on Gamora, and said, "Ronan murdered my wife and daughter. Slaughtered them—right in front of me."

He turned his head sharply toward the speaker. His voice rose with fury. "And he laughed while doing it."

Drax pointed at Gamora. "So her life? It's not yours to take."

The prisoners around them fell silent. Rocket, still hidden and watching from the side, gently tapped Star-Lord's calf, signaling him to head back.

But Star-Lord was focused entirely on Gamora. He didn't notice Rocket's nudges at all.

Drax went on, his voice deep and intense. "Ronan destroyed my family. I will spill his blood for it."

That declaration made the surrounding men back off quickly. Intimidated, they handed over their knives and stepped away.

But just as their attention was on Drax, Gamora struck.

Her movements were swift and precise—she raised her bound hands, snatched two knives from the men on either side, and before they could react, she dropped them one by one with quick, brutal blows. Then she pressed the blades against the necks of the stunned Drax and the remaining prisoner.

In a blink, the hunted became the hunter.

Star-Lord started creeping forward.

"Hey, Quill, what are you doing?" Rocket whispered, tense, hoping his investment wouldn't get himself killed.

But Star-Lord didn't listen.

Gamora looked at Drax—at this broken man who still radiated wrath—and said calmly, "I'm not Ronan's ally. I'm not Thanos's puppet."

She took two steps back, lowered her knives, and let them fall.

*Clang!*

The sound echoed. Silence followed.

Gamora faced Drax and added, "I'm your only chance at stopping him."

"RAAAGHH!!"

Drax roared and seized her by the neck, slamming her against the wall.

Gamora gasped.

Holding a knife to her throat, Drax growled, "Stop lying to me."

"Hey! Hey hey hey!"

A voice cut through the tension. They all turned.

Star-Lord was striding toward them quickly, with Rocket dragging behind, visibly exasperated.

Star-Lord tried to calm the situation. "You want revenge on Ronan, right? Killing her now doesn't help."

Drax narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you the one this woman tried to kill?"

"Yeah, she's not the first," Star-Lord muttered. He kept walking, slowly closing the gap. "Look, she betrayed Ronan. She's bait now."

He raised a finger, sliced it across his throat in a clear gesture.

"Wait for Ronan to come looking for her, and then… you strike."

Drax tilted his head, confused. "Why are you drawing circles on your neck?"

Star-Lord paused. "That's a symbol. It means slit his throat."

But Drax frowned. "I don't want to slit his throat. I want to take his head."

Star-Lord sighed. "It's just a metaphor, man. It *means* you kill him."

He looked at another prisoner nearby. "You've seen this, right? You know what it means?"

The man nodded quickly under Star-Lord's gaze. "Yes, yes."

But the moment Drax looked over, he shook his head. "Nope. Never seen it."

Star-Lord groaned. "Look, the point is—keep her alive. Don't do Ronan's work for him."

At last, Drax let go.

Gamora collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing, her strength gone after being choked.

Without another word, Drax walked off.

Gamora composed herself, ignored Star-Lord, and went straight back to the cell.

But Star-Lord followed, arguing loudly.

"Listen, I don't care if you live or die."

Gamora stopped, turned, and looked at him. "Then why stop him from killing me?"

"Easy," he replied. "You know who wants the Orb. You know who we can sell it to."

So that was it. Star-Lord had only saved her because she was his lead to a buyer for the Orb.

Gamora raised a brow. "We're locked up. Why are we still talking about selling it?"

Star-Lord looked down and gestured beside him. "Our pal Rocket has broken out of 22 prisons."

Gamora followed his gaze—and saw the raccoon standing at Star-Lord's feet.

Rocket looked up at her and declared with confidence, "We're getting out of here."

---