C166 I’m Star-Lord (Patreon)

After ditching the car in a quiet, easily accessible spot, Peter left a small stack of cash in the glove compartment, a form of compensation for the broken window and the inconvenience he had caused the owner.

With that done, he doubled back to Mikaela’s house on foot, grateful that the night was quiet and uneventful. He slipped into the driver's seat of his Camaro, the familiar rumble of the engine bringing a sense of comfort as he drove off.

The night had been eventful, and as he navigated the nearly empty roads, his thoughts briefly drifted back to Mikaela and their unexpected meeting. But there was no time to dwell on that now—he had other things to take care of.

After finding a secluded area where he was certain no one would spot him, Peter drove the Camaro into the cargo hold of his ship. The metallic ramp closed behind him with a soft hiss, sealing them inside.

Leaving Bumblebee in the cargo hold, Peter took a seat in the cockpit, lifting off and speeding toward the Red Room. The journey was smooth, and soon enough, they arrived at the usual hangar where he parked his ship.

The ship settled into its usual spot, the ramp lowering with a quiet whirr as Peter stepped out. ‘Now, time to find Rocket…’

But thankfully, he didn’t have to go far to find him. The raccoon was already waiting for him, standing by the entrance to the hangar with an annoyed expression on his face.

The moment he spotted Peter, Rocket’s voice rang out, filled with irritation. "You know, Quill, it’d be real nice if you didn’t keep taking the ship without telling me first. All my tools, my weapons—they’re on there! You’re messing with my work!"

Peter sighed, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I know, I know. I’ll try to take one of the Jedi ships next time, okay?" He said, then added, "Actually, I was just about to come find you. I need your help with something..."

Ignoring Peter out of spite, Rocket grumbled, clearly not appeased. He started to brush past Peter, heading for the ship, still mumbling under his breath about delays and interrupted projects…

But then he stopped dead in his tracks, his sharp eyes narrowing as they fell on the sleek, yellow Camaro parked in the cargo hold. "What the hell is this?" he demanded, his tone a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Peter couldn’t help but grin, a hint of pride in his voice as he explained, "I bought myself a new car. That’s actually what I need your help with."

Before Peter could elaborate, Rocket’s eyes widened with mock incredulity, and he immediately launched into a barrage of teasing. "Why the hell would you want something like this? Earth’s vehicles are ancient! Thousands of years behind the tech we could get from just about any corner of the galaxy. You seriously spent money on this hunk of junk?"

As Rocket continued to mock the Camaro, Peter’s patience began to wear thin. He knew Rocket was just being Rocket, but after the long night, he wasn’t in the mood for it. A mischievous idea began to form in his mind, and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Alright, alright," Peter said, raising his hands in mock surrender as he stepped closer to the car. "Let me show you what this thing can really do."

Rocket scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh, this I gotta see. What, you gonna show me how this sh*t box barely hits sixty miles an hour?"

Peter just grinned, ignoring the jab as he placed his hand on the back of the Camaro. A faint glow began to emanate from his hand, the familiar power of Mechu-Deru flowing through him.

Within seconds, the glow spread across the entire vehicle, as Peter reached out with his mind, connecting with the dormant systems inside Bumblebee.

With a soft hum, the Camaro began to shift and change. Panels slid apart, wheels retracted, and the whole vehicle began to expand and unfold, its parts rearranging in a complex, intricate dance of metal and machinery.

The transformation was smooth and fluid, and within moments, the familiar yellow-and-black form of Bumblebee stood towering over them, the Autobot’s large frame hunched over slightly to fit inside the cargo hold.

Rocket, who had been casually leaning against the wall, nearly jumped out of his fur as Bumblebee suddenly loomed over him. His wide eyes scanned the massive robot, his earlier bravado vanishing in an instant.

"What the…!" Rocket yelped, scrambling back a few steps as he tried to process what he was seeing.

Peter, still controlling Bumblebee like a puppet, crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall with a smug look on his face. "You were saying something about a ‘hunk of junk’? Because this ‘hunk of junk’ can do a little more than just drive down the street."

Rocket’s eyes darted between Peter and Bumblebee, his earlier mockery replaced with a mixture of awe and begrudging respect. "You… you… What the hell is that?!" he exclaimed, still trying to wrap his mind around it.

Peter reached into his shirt and pulled out the small necklace, revealing the dice-sized AllSpark that dangled from the chain. The ancient relic glinted under the hangar lights, its surface etched with mysterious, glowing symbols.

"This," Peter began, holding the AllSpark up for Rocket to see, "led me to it. But there's a problem—it’s damaged. I checked it over and found what looked like a ball of energy inside him, something like a core, but it was cracked. I want to try fixing it…"

Rocket, who had been practically drooling over the advanced technology, barely registered what Peter was saying. His mind was racing with thoughts on how such a machine could have been built, the intricacies of its design, the genius required to pull off something so complex. He couldn't help but be impressed, even though he’d never admit it out loud.

Peter noticed Rocket's distracted state and sighed, calling out, "Rocket. Rocket! Are you listening?"

Rocket blinked, snapping out of his daze as he turned to Peter. "Yeah, yeah, I’m listening. You want my help with your giant droid thing, right?"

Peter sighed, realizing that Rocket hadn’t been paying attention to most of what he’d said. "Close enough," he muttered, deciding it was better to roll with it than to repeat himself. "So, are you on board?"

Before Peter could finish asking, Rocket's demeanor shifted, becoming noticeably more chummy. He sidled up to Peter, a grin on his face that was a clear difference from his earlier grumpy attitude. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you out? Of course, I’m on board!"

Peter scoffed, sensing the sudden shift in Rocket’s attitude. "Uh-huh, sure. Whatever, as long as you’re willing to help."

"Yeah, yeah," Rocket said, waving off the remark with a paw. "So, what do you need me to do? You want me to dissect this thing, figure out what makes it tick?"

Peter shook his head, grateful but also wary of Rocket's newfound enthusiasm. "No, not quite. I need a place where energy signals can’t escape. You got anything like that?"

Rocket’s eyes lit up, as if he'd been waiting for someone to ask just that. "Follow me."

…

Rocket led Peter through the winding corridors of the Red Room, moving deeper and deeper.

Finally, they arrived at a large, circular room at the very core of the base. The space was filled with a dizzying array of materials and equipment, all arranged in what seemed to be organized chaos. Tools, wires, and half-finished devices littered every surface, while the walls were lined with panels that hummed with barely contained energy.

Rocket gestured around the room with obvious pride. "This," he began, "is where the new power source for the Red Room is going to be housed. It’s not finished yet, obviously, but it’s going to be something special. In order to contain the reactor I’m planning to build, I had to craft this room specifically to handle its immense energy output. That’s why this is the perfect spot to contain any energy signature for whatever it is you plan to do with your droid car thing."

Peter stepped further into the room, taking it all in. The walls weren’t particularly thick, but he could sense the power coursing through the tech embedded within them.

Rocket continued, "The walls here aren’t about brute force—they’re about finesse. I’ve built them to absorb and redistribute energy across the entire base, powering everything from the lights to the engines. It’ll keep whatever you’re working on contained, no problem."

Peter’s lips curled into a smirk as he turned to Rocket, "Perfect.”

…

..

.

Peter and Rocket carefully maneuvered Bumblebee, now reverted to his car form, into the core room. His humanoid form was too large to navigate the hallways leading here, and besides, driving was faster—though they might have nearly run over a few Shield agents on the way.

Once inside, Rocket sealed the room, ensuring that the energy they were about to unleash would be fully contained.

Turning to Peter, Rocket scratched his head, still unsure of what exactly they were about to do. "So, what are we doing again?"

Peter scoffed, shaking his head. "You’d know if you were listening earlier."

Ignoring Rocket’s puzzled expression, Peter approached Bumblebee’s dormant form. He reached up to his neck, unhooking the necklace that held the dice-sized AllSpark. The relic glinted in the low light of the room, its mysterious power palpable even to Rocket, who couldn’t help but eye it with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.

Peter wrapped the chain around his hand, pressing the AllSpark firmly against Bumblebee’s hood. “Here goes nothing…”

Closing his eyes, Peter focused, channeling his energy through the AllSpark using Mechu-Deru. His hand began to glow, and that glow quickly spread from his palm into the AllSpark and then into Bumblebee, causing the entire car to emit a faint, pulsating light.

Rocket took a step back, his eyes widening as he muttered, "What the f—"

Before he could finish, Peter gasped, his eyes snapping open in shock as the glow from his hand spread to the rest of his body. The energy surged through him, overwhelming his senses as it poured from the AllSpark into Bumblebee.

The room itself seemed to come alive, the walls of the core feeding on the immense energy being generated, causing the Red Room’s systems to hum with newfound power. The once-dim lights flared brightly, and the air around them crackled with raw, untamed energy.

Rocket’s jaw dropped as he watched, utterly dumbfounded. "I probably should’ve been paying attention," he muttered, feeling completely out of his depth.

Peter’s body began to tremble under the strain of channeling the AllSpark’s power. The pain was intense, every nerve in his body screaming as the energy coursed through him. But he didn’t stop.

“Urgh…” Peter groaned, feeling the AllSpark’s energy reaching out to Bumblebee’s damaged spark, attempting to heal the fractures within it.

Despite the pain, a small, triumphant smirk formed on Peter’s lips as he felt the spark begin to mend.

Soon enough, the light surrounding him grew even brighter, until it became almost blinding.

“!” Rocket had to shield his eyes with his hand, squinting as he tried to see what was happening. The entire room was bathed in an otherworldly glow, the energy reaching its peak.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the light dimmed and faded away. Rocket slowly lowered his hand, blinking as his eyes adjusted.

In the center of the room, Peter lay on his back, drenched in sweat, gasping for breath. The AllSpark was still clutched tightly in his hand, its power now dormant once more.

Rocket, still processing everything, took a hesitant step forward. "Did it work?"

Peter, struggling to catch his breath, managed to nod weakly. "I… I think so…"

They both turned their attention to Bumblebee. For a moment, nothing happened, which worried them, but then, the car’s headlights flickered on. The engine rumbled to life, and the radio sputtered, cycling through various stations as if testing its own functionality.

“Haha!” Peter laughed victoriously. “It’s alive!” He yelled, doing his best to imitate a certain mad scientist.

The car began to shift and move, transforming back into its towering robot form. This time, though, it was different. There was a subtle vitality in its movements, and its eyes glowed with a faint but unmistakable light of consciousness.

Peter pushed himself up, wiping the sweat from his brow. A sense of relief and accomplishment washed over him as he started to speak. "Uhh, hey! I’m Peter Quill, and this is—" he turned to point to Rocket.

"Umm, Quill!" Rocket interrupted, his voice tinged with alarm.

Peter’s eyes snapped back to Bumblebee, and his heart skipped a beat. The Autobot’s arm had transformed, its hand now replaced with a massive, glowing blaster, which was pointed directly at Peter’s head.

A/N: 2206 words :)