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They always said the first contact would be unpredictable.
As the city of New York bustles about it's usual activities, high up top, hidden by the clouds, a small spaceship lingers in wait. In the cockpit, the pilot activates the scanners, seeking out his target. He looked at the twig sitting on the console, frowning and drooping his ears a bit before going back to scanning. Negative… negative… negative… POSITIVE! The sensors picked something up! It was faint, but definitely the unique signiture that was the walking, semi-talking tree that used to be his partner!
Groot had been here!
Taking the levers, Rocket brought the ship into a swoop, lowering it down to the highest and closest building he could find. The one with the giant "L" looked promising. L for Landing Pad, right? Bringing his "little" gunship to a hover and touchdown on the helipad at the top of the building, the cockpit opened as the pilot emerged. A small, bipedal raccoon. Clad in orange and blue armor. Carrying a seemingly impossible amount of weight in ordinance on his back and side. "S'cuse me! Hi! Tryin' ta find a buddy of mine. Big? Tall? Made of wood? Stupid smile on his face? Responds to the name 'Groot'? Seen anything like that?"
*
Lexcorp had security everywhere. Even on the roof- when some weird craft came out of the heavens and landed on the helipad they stood near the door and watched. Hands found guns- the guards on the ground level carried revolvers. Up here? State of the art semi-automatic rifles. "Halt!" they call out, pointing weapons at the heavily armed… Racoon? "Go no further- this is LexCorp private property!"
Of course, a ship like that would get attention- particularly from Lex Luthor. She had seen it coming a mile away, cameras on top of other LexCorp owned buildings and businesses angling up to watch its approach. Radar dishes in the city- Lex had eyes everywhere these days. She presses a button on her desk and speaks into a microphone. A loud speaker on top of the building buzzes to life- behind it only the smoke and whiskey voice of Lex herself: "Hold your fire. Return to your posts. I'll be up in a moment."
*
As the guns were drawn, Rocket growled and pulled his off his back as well. It's… big! Like, it may very well weigh more than him! And judging from the side of the barrel, whatever it fired was meant to explode. "Then why'd you put a giant 'L' on the side makin' me think it's a landin' pad! L for landin', right!? Grah!" About ready to pull the trigger, Rocket's eyes held on the guards, but his ears flicked at the sound of Lex's voice on the loudspeaker… how trustworthy was this voice? "…sounds like you meal rats are gettin' off easy… but don't think I'm not wise to you…" Rocket waited patiently for the voice to fulfill it's promise of showing up, but he kept his weapon at the ready. Just in case. Much like an animal in the corner.
*
There are only a few moments before the doors of the elevators open, and standing there is a woman- one Alexandra Luthor. She's tall, for a woman, and carries herself with supreme confidence. She wears a fine suit, and looks like a million bucks. She wears short heels, and steps quietly out onto the landing pad. "The L is for LexCorp." she states plainly. "The landing pad belongs to me." she further explains as she approaches. "Lex Luthor." she introduces herself. "And you are?"
*
Rocket bared his teeth at the woman as she approached… but she wasn't carrying a weapon… so what was she hiding? Still… she seemed passive enough. Although he didn't put the gun away, he lowered it and the whirring noise it made quieted. "…name's Rocket. Bounty hunter from a planet called Halfworld. Lookin' for a… an old partner. Name's Groot. Big, tall, stupid grin, made of wood. Hard to miss… you got anything like that around here?"
*
Lex doesn't appear to be hiding anything- but she stands fiercely. Bald-headed and seemingly without fear at the oddity standing before her. "Rocket. A pleasure to meet you." she begins, "I haven't seen anyone made of wood around here. I do imagine I'd have taken notice." she looks back towards her guards, and then back towards Rocket. "Halfworld. Very interesting. I have for a rather long time suspected there to be intelligent life on other planets. Aliens seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days. Honestly, I'm not really sure what to think. Still, a bounty hunter is always someone who's good to know. Perhaps you'd like to come inside? Have a coffee?" she suggests, "I might be able to help you find your.. Groot, was it?"
*
Rocket just stared back at Lex for a little bit. This person was… interesting. Unlike these other… humans, she seemed pretty at ease with him… or hid it well. Reminded him of that other human he met once… this one seemed a lot cleaner. Smelled like it, anyways. "…ah, yeah. Sure." Rocket said. He checked to make sure he still had his blaster pistols, shouldering his heavy weaponry as he followed wherever Lex led. "Yeah, anyways… we're… 'aliens' as you put it. He's my old partner… we went through a wormhole on a mission, ended up getting seperated. Trying to follow his spore trail with my ship's sensors. Managed to keep a twig of his. My scans picked up that he'd been here… though, where exactly is a bit harder to pinpoint. So… how do you plan on finding him?"
*
"There aren't many walking wooden men on this planet." Luthor replies to Rocket, as she turns and walks back towards the elevator. Cool as a cucumber, Lex didn't seem at all phased by a walking, talking raccoon. If anything, she seemed more interested than bothered. "How do you take your coffee, Rocket? As for where you are- you're on Earth, in the Sol System." Luthor than gives some general coordinates used by current astronomers after that. "Unfortunately, I'm not sure what sort of navigational maps you use, otherwise I might be able to give you more. If you'd be willing to share that information, I might be all the more able to assist."
Luthor presses a button in the elevator. "Mercy, please prepare two coffees. Tea cookies, maybe some cupcakes." Lex holds the door quietly, smiling towards Rocket.
*
Rocket canted his head to one side as he listened to her speak. This was all so… primative. These kind of coordinates and everything. "…sweet stardust, you are all so… low tech. Ah… coffee… uhm… cream? Plenty of it? I favor milk more than anythin'… aside from liquor." At her question about sharing information, he shrugged. "I feel like there is some kind of protocol that forbids us from giving underdeveloped planets knowledge like that, but, ah… what do I care? I'm a bounty hunter. I'll see what I can do."
He reached into one of the pouches on his belt, pulling out a small cube and tapping something on the side. At once, a holographic display of star charts and 3 dimensional maps started to whirl about. "Sol System? Erm… I think you mean… the orbital field around star A661-2. This is the third orbit, so… that." He pointed at a small speck twirling in the scheme, before it zoomed in to show a bigger picture. "I think… Eh-yurth?"
*
"Milk can be arranged, Rocket." Lex offers with that same smile- looking at the cube as the information is shown, memorizing every detail as things slide into focus. "Yes." she replies, "That be where you are." she says, "Earth."
The Elevator goes down- only one floor. The top of the tower is Lex's Office- she's on top, after all. Its a truly well appointed office with commanding views of all of New York City. There's coffee ready for them, along with a pitcher of milk. "I also have alcohol." She nods towards the bar on the wall. All top shelf liquor, of course. "I'm rather fond of the scotch, myself. I have several blends fifty years or older." she says as she moves to her desk and sits quietly on the far side. "Please, take a seat."
"Now, Groot. A walking man of wood. The first place I'd start looking is Mutant Town." Lex begins, "But, I think you're going to have some problems fitting in, Rocket. You resemble an animal from our planet known as a raccoon. I'm afraid they're largely considered pests in the city." She doesn't seem to think so, at least, by the tone of her voice- wholly informative.
*
Rocket followed after Lex, and his eyes widened at the sight of the racks of alcohol. Oh thank heavens… though it looked high end… would it be enough to get him buzzed? But he followed along and clambered into the chair, having a seat. "Mutant Town? What, you guys got radiation leaks or something? Sounds like a quarantine issue… whatever."
"Yeah, yeah. Raccoon. We got 'em on my planet too. Halfworld used to be made of wilderness and forest until… the Good Humor Men. Turned the place into an insane asylum. Had robots to keep watch over the patients, but got too expensive… so they took all of us animals and… rebuilt us." His ears drooped slightly at that statement. "…so yeah, fully aware. You all have a lot of animals like us on Halfworld. Used to view us as pests too… until they needed us."
*
Lex watches quietly, looking at Rocket as he gazes towards the alcohol. "Not quite. Evolution run rampant. The human genome is.. changing." she begins. "I have some people looking at the problem. For some, its like blessing- but for many, its like a curse. They're unable to freely move among the human population at large. I aim to cure them, if its possible." she mentions off hand. "However, if I was looking for a man made of wood, that's where I'd start. He'd.. fit in there." she offers, "And probably find a few who'd be more willing to help him."
Lex stands quietly from behind her desk and walks over to her wet bar. She looks at a few of the bottles before taking a particularly fine looking bottle of scotch and returning to the desk. She quietly sets it in front of Rocket. A gracious hostess, at least. A rock crystal glass is taken from the desk itself, and she pours a very generous serving for Rocket.
"I'd be rather interested to hear about your history sometime, and even take a look at the… rebuilt parts of you. They might do some good for people. With your permission, of course, and a generous compensation. I get the feeling any money you might have won't be legal tender here." she notes. "I'd like to help you, but I am a business woman at heart and would rather like everything to be mutual." she smiles still, "You have information about the galaxy at large, for instance. I'd be willing to pay top dollar for it. Its information no one on our little world happens to have."
*
Rocket seems quiet, curious about these mutants. Wierd… a rapidly evolving species? That sounds like a recipe for a… how'd it go? A fustercluck? "…well, even so, I doubt me and Groot will fit in very well. He likes water… grass… dirt… like trees are wont to do, ya know?" He watched her pour the drink, looking at the ground a moment. "…but he's an idiot. He'd probably go looking for trouble tryin' to fix it. So… that might be where he goes first."
As the glass is pushed his way, Rocket had to stand up and reach it from his seat, before sitting back down and taking a swig. "Yeah, yeah… might be a good idea. Planetary trade and universal brotherhood and all that nonsense. Yeah, I don't think you guys use credits. Lemme guess - physical based monetary barter system? Ugh…" He lifted the glass to take another drink when she mentioned studying his "rebuilt" parts… and that made him scowl a bit. Not at her, but scowl anyways. "…I can tell you what I've got in my database onboard about Halfworld if you like. Other planets, if I have them… it kinda stays in flux depending on my missions. But my cybernetics…" He growled, before chugging the rest of the drink down and planting it on his seat. "…I'm tired of being pulled apart and put back together again." Evidently, that's a touchy subject for him. "So… I'll lend you my medical data… but I ain't going under the laser again… not again…"
*
"Of course not, Rocket. I wouldn't dream of pulling you apart." Lex says, "I'm sure schematic and the like will be far more useful to me." she offers with a little grin. "And, for it, I'll pay you.. five thousand dollars. The medical records and the navigational data, both. That should be more than enough to get you settled in here and if you need more, I'm sure we can come to an agreement. I do have things I need procured, and I'd bet you're very resourceful." she says with such an easy smile.
"Then I have two places for you to find your Groot. Mutant Town and central park. I can have a map ready for you. You'll also need a place to store your ship- my helipad isn't the best location." she offers, "I need it for my own vehicles. If you don't already have a place for it, I'm sure I can also find somewhere for you to keep it. You'll be needing fuel, eventually, I'm sure- and its very likely I'm the only woman on Earth with the resources to make that happen."
Lex presses a button on her desk. "Mercy, be a dear and get five thousand dollars out of petty cash for me. And a map- please mark Mutant Town, Central Park, and all other green spaces and known mutant or meta gathering zones for our new friend, Rocket."
Lex smiles again over towards Rocket, standing and coming to his side of the desk. She refreshes his drink. "Do we have a deal then, Rocket?" she asks- offering a hand out.
*
"If by resourceful, you mean 'do I know how to blast things and bring them back in a relatively big piece', then yes. I am." Rocket replied, listening to her offer with a flick of his ears before taking another swig of the drink. Now they were getting into comfortable territory - deal making. "Fuel, probably. Most energy sources I could just suck up with the reconversion distrubtion socket, but that's… inefficient. And for landing… yeah, somewhere to call homeworld while I'm here would be good. Doesn't need to be fancy… matter of fact, out of the way might be better, if I'm seen as a… pest." Another swig. "Yeah… that'll do."
Rocket stood up, looking up at Lex's hand and eyeing it a moment, before reaching up and grasping it as much as he could, shaking it. "Deal, Lex. Lemme see what I got…" He patted himself a moment, before reaching behind him and pulling out a flat screen of some kind. It looked like a pane of glass with two handles on the side. "Pretty out of date tech, but then again, for this planet, might be way out of your leagues… hey Idiot! Medical schematics and star charts with related info on all bodies in star orbit A661-2, with relevant data on surrounding orbits to an order of… eh, 4. Remote download. Now." he ordered. The device whirred to life as data zoomed quickly across the glass screen.
"Download commencing, captain." An electronic voice beeped back at Rocket as he nodded. "That covers about astral hops in any given direction. Trust me, that's a looooot of space. You'll be having your hands full for a while with this."
*
Lex grins as a blonde woman steps into the office a few moments later, carrying the things the Lex had requested. Bundles of cash. A map. "Ah. Perhaps it would be out of the league of *most* people on this planet, but me?" Lex grins over to Rocket. "Nothing is outside Lex Luthor's grasp." she informs Rocket as she turns to walk to the other side of her desk, grabbing a couple of things- a business card, and a piece of paper. She writes down a few notable addresses. "These are some disused buildings I own. One of them should be appropriate for your ship to hide out in. I can have it retrofitted to allow for takeoff and landing. That, however, will cost something as well. Schematics for the ship, engine- that sort of thing." she says, "And that'll net you a place to hang your proverbial hat. That one, you should think about."
And now Luthor takes the business card. "And this is perhaps the most important thing, Rocket. If something should happen, call this number." It doesn't have Lex's number on it. "Or have someone call it. Just have them explain what's happening, where you are, and I'll take care of the rest. I take *very* good care of my friends, Rocket." She says with a wide grin.
*
Rocket hopped off his chair and took the case of money and the map. Trying to holster the map under his arm, he grabbed a hold of the paper and studied it. "Gonna have to figure out how you use your navigations… can't be that hard. Just… old fashioned." Finally, he accepted the card and looked it over, before flicking his ears at the mention of the word "friends". At first, he seemed a bit annoyed by it, but eventually, his ears drooped and he looked at the map in his arm.
"…never had much use for friends. Business partners? Yeah… friends?" He hoisted the case up and started to haul it back to the elevator.
"Friends just get ya into trouble."
*
Lex nods quietly, "I understand. So, business partners, then. I take care of them particularly well as well." Lex offers as she comes to look at the map. "It'll become obvious once you get out on the street. They're all labeled. And this is where you are now." she points to the building in the financial district. "I suggest you keep a low profile. You're going to upset most human beings in this city. They're idiots who are afraid of the things they don't understand."
Lex smiles then. "So, figure out which of those buildings is to your liking and I'll get it set up so you can easily take off and land using the property. I will need to know what, exactly, your ship uses for fuel so I can appropriate the proper materials."
*
Rocket gave a smirk at her mentioning how most of the humans would be a bit scared of him… especially the "idiots" part. "…credit where it's due. You might not be so bad a partner." he commented, before nodding. "I'll have to give 'em a look over. See what I can find. Lot more things to consider than just space for the ship. I'll give ya a call when I pick one. Right now, my biggest task is finding the lumbering buffoon… before he causes more problems." There is a certain amount of concern in that last bit. As if he's less worried about the problems being for him, and more for them hurting his friend.
*
"Of course." Lex offers, her smile slight as she takes the bottle of scotch and quietly offers it over. "Well then, partner, do you want to leave from the top floor or shall I ensure you aren't bothered leaving from the ground floor?"
*
"Out the top. I prefer to fly anyways." Rocket replied. He turned back, looking at Lex and considering her for a moment, before continuing. "Thanks. You're not so bad."
*
"Thank you, Rocket." Lex offers as she joins him in the elevator, pressing the proper button. "I'm sure this will be an excellent and profitable business partnership for both of us. You just let me know if you come across any trouble." she smiles as the door opens on the helipad and she steps outside once more. "So then, I'll bid you safe travels, Rocket. I do hope to hear from you soon."
*