Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters in this story, but all original characters belong to me.

Author's note: For MATURE readers 18+ Rated M for language, graphic violence, alcohol/drug abuse, and sex. You should expect this story to expand beyond GOTG into The Avengers starting in Part II. This is an origin story.

Warning: This story is not for children or sensitive people. It is dark, full of graphic details, and not for people easily triggered.

This is a LONG-TERM, AU story. In other words: It will not end anytime soon nor will it follow the movies/comics exactly, though I do try to make it fit here and there. The entire MCU is at my mercy.

You've been warned... I hope you enjoy ;)

Chapter song: Turn to Dust by Wolf Alice

It was barely noon and I was already longing to be back in my cold, air-conditioned home. Living in the South has its perks, but summers here are unbearable. Within five minutes of walking out the front door of my home, my body was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. After studying abroad in Europe for several semesters, I was no longer used to such extreme temperatures. I almost thought about skipping classes this morning, but I knew my professors would surely notice my absence.

All of my professors paid special attention to me. Not because I was a kiss-ass or anything, but because my father, the Governor, was running for presidency this year. My parents encouraged me to be perfect at everything, including school. I was in the top of my class, but my success came with a price. Every semester I made the President's list, another friend would be lost on the way. It wasn't due to lack of trying. It was due to a couple of reasons; those reasons being mom and dad. Not only did I have to live up to the family name, but my friends did as well. It was a suffocating pressure that took its toll on anyone who came into contact with me. After graduation I planned on getting the hell out of this life and moving far, far away. My parents will be unpleasantly surprised when they find out, no doubt about that.

Only one month left, I thought as I walked into my final class of the day.

Sacrificing my summer in order to finish school a semester early was an easy choice for me. It's not like I had much to do during the summer anyways. The remaining friends I had left either went home for the holiday or travelled abroad. Because of my father's constant campaigning, my parents insisted I stay home for the summer in order to boost poll numbers. And of course, I did as I was told because having a free place to live wasn't terribly inconvenient.

I watched the clock with dreary eyes as my professor rambled on about theories of international law. If I were anyone else I would have walked out and returned to the freezing, dark cave I called my bedroom, but I couldn't do anything without being noticed. So instead, I sat there with growing impatience, fanning the damp, sweaty shirt away from my skin.

Much to my relief, my professor decided to end class ten minutes early. As I stood up and started packing my things, my professor approached me with a smile on his old, weathered face.

Here we go, I thought with a sigh. By now we were the only two left in the classroom.

"Got any big plans for this weekend, Silvia?" He asked nicely. His breath reeked of coffee and cigarettes.

I looked up at him with the nicest smile I could muster. "Oh… probably just going to study," I said, making my way to the door.

He casually walked behind me with his hands in his pockets. "That's a shame," he said, feigning disappointment. "A special girl like you should be taken out on a date."

Gross, I thought, suppressing a scoff.

I awkwardly laughed and turned around to say goodbye, only to see him staring at me expectantly. The hopeful expression in his eyes was actually painful for me to witness. I practically stumbled out the door without a backwards glance.

"Bye Dr. Dominick," I called over my shoulder. "See you next week!" My feet couldn't move fast enough away from that awkward situation.

I knew men found me attractive, but I tried not to think about it. I was a bit of an ugly duckling growing up, and it was still weird when people referred to me as beautiful or sexy. It was just...not natural. Seeing yourself on magazine covers looking like a pin-up doll really wasn't as glamourous as sounds, especially when those magazines were filled with endless lies, rumors, and personal details about your personal life.

I dressed as modestly as I could, but sometimes it's impossible to hide your curves. Even if I did somehow manage to conceal my figure, the paparazzi never failed to find a provocative angle or wardrobe malfunction. Much to my embarrassment and fury, I had been offered to pose for one of those magazines more than once. I refused their offers with a few distasteful words of my own. Oddly enough, no man had ever seen me without my clothes on despite the number of boyfriends I had acquired over the years. My parents taught me at a young age to distrust everyone around me, and this wariness of others transcended into the bedroom. Besides, someone in the Alamanni family had to maintain a good image, and since all of my other family members seemed set on their own paths of self-destruction that responsibility rested on me. The last thing my father needed was another family "home video" for the whole world to see.

As I hurried across the crosswalk, a piercing whistle from a nearby truck interrupted my thoughts. I subconsciously crossed my arms over my chest and looked away, walking faster with every step. Fortunately, the driver continued on his way and let me be. With a relieved sigh I slowed down and enjoyed the calming breeze that swept across the sidewalk. Instead of returning home, I decided to go to the park and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon. Nature always had a way of lifting my spirits, and peace and relaxation was exactly what I needed. When I arrived, I happily noticed that the park's large, open field remained mostly vacant. I gently dropped my backpack onto the grass and unbuttoned my shirt, tossing it aside to reveal the thin, beige tank top underneath.

I reached inside my backpack for the blanket I always carried and spread it across the grass, carefully avoiding any rocks or twigs. I took a deep breath and inhaled the fragrant aromas of the hydrangea and gardenia flowers around me. With a pleasant sigh I lied down and watched the clouds above me slowly drift by, which thankfully blocked most the sun's harsh rays from my fair skin. After a few minutes, I had forgotten about my awkward encounter with my professor and was now entranced with the beautiful sounds of nature. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of wind passing through the palm trees and birds chirping quietly in the distance, and very soon, I unintentionally fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Awhile later, the frightening sensation of falling woke me up with a startled gasp. With heavy, confused eyes I observed the unfamiliar environment around me, growing more concerned by the second. It was nighttime, but darker than I imagined possible in the middle of a city. Judging by the drop in temperature and the chilling silence that filled the park, I knew it was well past midnight. There was an unsettling eeriness in the air that seemed to settle in my bones and set my teeth on edge. Although I was visibly alone in the dark, open field, I could feel a heavy presence surrounding me. Something wasn't right. I nervously stumbled around trying to find my things in the dark, cursing quietly at my own stupidity.

Just as I found my backpack and slipped it over my shoulders, there was a deafening noise directly above me. It was louder than anything I imagined possible. Its deep vibrations shook the ground beneath my feet and knocked me to the ground. As I screamed in fear, bright lights descended upon me, blinding me with whiteness. My hands blindly reached out in an attempt to block the painful light, but it only seemed to make it worse. With wide, manic eyes I looked around to see if there was anyone who could help me, but there was no one. For once in my life I didn't want to be alone.

I regained my footing and began backing away from the strange, floating object. Just as I started to turn to run I felt a strange sensation overcome my body. Any little movement I made was met with extreme difficulty. It was as if the air around me had suddenly transformed into glue. Then, I was weightless. After a few seconds I realized I was being pulled upwards. Panic overcame me and I began to truly scream with fear as I watched my fallen backpack get smaller and smaller in the field of grass. I attempted to pull myself out of the strange beam of light by thrashing my limbs in every direction, but my efforts were useless.

I looked up at the round opening as I got closer and tried to prepare myself for what awaited me behind that entrance. My throat became uncomfortably tight and my stomach now turned as terror took ahold of my senses. I tried screaming again, but all that came out were choked gasps. I quickly started to think about all of the possibilities: Could it be the government? Maybe it's a secret agency testing out new technology? Is it Tony Stark pulling a prank on me? That didn't seem likely. I didn't want to think the only other possibility was true.

This can't be happening to me. Aliens don't exist.

As I reached the entrance, I felt the overwhelming urge to vomit. Once again I looked down at the ground and figured I was at least thirty feet high in the air. I hoped that whatever it was that was keeping me up wouldn't fail now; although, falling to my death sounded a lot better than having aliens experiment on me. The thought of that terrified me even more. Luckily I didn't have much time to contemplate that terrifying idea because the doors to the entrance parted and I was forcefully pulled into the hovercraft. I closed my eyes and prayed that my death would be quick and painless.

The moment the doors closed beneath me, the feeling of weightlessness disappeared and I dropped to the floor with a loud thud. I crawled to the nearest corner and prepared myself for what was to come. I looked around and realized that I was alone. The craft itself was dirtier than I expected. I always imagined UFOs to have white, spotlessly clean walls and shiny metal objects. Everything in here was dark and there were strange rusty pipes running along the ceiling. There were also grungy, dirty spots on the walls and the floor was cluttered with what appeared to be junk. After waiting a few minutes to see if something would come for me, I decided to explore the room for a way out. There was a door on the opposite wall, but it was locked and the control pad was far too complicated for me to figure out. I looked behind me and saw a small, oval window which I quickly ran over to. I looked out and saw that we were much higher in the sky than before. In the distance I could see my entire neighborhood and tiny, ant-like cars driving along the interstate.

Thoughts of my home, my family, and my friends flooded my mind and I began to cry with renewed fear. My hands rested upon the cold window as my body began to shake uncontrollably. Within the next minute we were above the clouds.

Despite everything that was happening, I couldn't help but admire the beautiful view. I could see the full, bright moon more clearly than ever before in my life. The clouds glowed white beneath its light, and for a short, fleeting second I didn't feel afraid.

Then there was a low humming noise, followed by a flutter in the floor. Shortly after, my body began vibrating along with the craft. I sat down as the humming grew louder and drew my arms around my knees, closing my eyes and preparing for the end. There was a sudden lurch and then I felt my body being pulled backwards. It took all of my strength just to remain sitting upwards. It felt similar to when a plane begins its ascent into the sky, only stronger and more terrifying. Once I made that connection, it dawned on me that we were leaving Earth's atmosphere.

I'm in a spaceship. Oh... shit.

After about five minutes or so the pulling sensation slackened, allowing me to stand up and look out of the window again. I couldn't help but gasp with awe at the sight. There in front of me was my planet. My home. And it was beautiful. That feeling of wonder and admiration quickly vanished when Earth became smaller and eventually just another dot like everything else. I continued looking at my planet until I could see it no longer. By then the stiffness in my legs and feet had become overwhelming.

I sank down to the dirty floor, wishing I was sleeping in my warm, soft bed. I felt an ache in my heart just thinking about it. It must have been hours since I was abducted. A feeling of utter hopelessness caused me to slouch even more as I thought about my precarious situation. All I could do was sit here and wait for whatever walked through that door. As the hours passed by, exhaustion came over me and once again I fell asleep against my will.

I was floating in the air above my house, waving to my mom and dad who were smiling up at me. But then everything changed. My parents transformed into these awful, reptilian-like creatures, and then I was falling rapidly to the ground, screaming with horror. Before I was able to hit the ground I was yanked backwards by something, instantly pulling me out of my dream. To my right, I felt the weight of a large hand on my shoulder, roughly shaking me awake.

I glanced up to find the strangest creature standing over me, only this time it wasn't a dream. The longer I looked at it, the more intense my screams became. Its skin was a sickly yellow color, reminding me of pus, and it was covered in white dots that seemed to have no pattern at all. When I looked into the creatures face I was met with large, red eyes that seemed to lack any pupil. It was terrifying, and although it had arms and legs it was definitely not human.

My continuous screaming must have scared the creature because it quickly stood up and backed away, shaking its hands in a non-combative manner. I hurriedly jumped up and positioned myself into the fighting stance my self-defense instructor taught me. I had no idea how to actually fight, but I was not going to let this ugly thing turn me into a lab rat.

"Who are you?" I screamed, pointing my fists. "Get away from me!" God, could you sound any more pathetic?

The creature quietly watched me, all the while slowly lowering its hands. It then walked over to the only door in the room and proceeded to type something into the control pad. When it finished, the door immediately swooshed open. It then gestured to the opening, pointing with its yellow hands for me to go through.

I shook my head, cautiously backing away from the alien. I did not want to find out what was behind that door. In response, the alien grunted and pointed more dramatically to the door as if I didn't understand.

I shook my head and continued backing away. "I'm not going through that door," I growled. "Take me back home, now!"

The alien sighed and threw its hands up into the air in a frustrated manner. In deliberate strides it approached me and grabbed me by the arm, causing me to recoil with disgust and fear. Before I could control myself, I was once again screaming as the creature began dragging me towards the door. It struggled to hold on to me as I began hitting it in the back with my other fist, but its grip on my arm stayed intact. The creature grunted with each hit but it never looked back or retaliated. I was dragged through a dimly lit hallway until we reached yet another door. When it slid open I was thrown roughly through the threshold, and I instantly wished I was back in that small, dirty room.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open as dozens of aliens stopped what they were doing to stare at me. Not a single one of them looked alike. Each alien had a unique skin color, and some looked like they weren't even from the same planet. In fact, one of them had what looked like tentacles as arms. The majority of them had human-like features – two arms and two legs – but they were all hideous to me.

The middle of the crowd began to part as a blue man casually walked towards me. His skin color made him look like a member of the Blue Man Group. He almost appeared human, minus the odd skin color and the red, shiny crest on the top of his head. He stood directly in front of me, smiling with crooked white teeth.

"Welcome aboard my ship, girl," he said with an oddly-Southern accent. "My name is Yondu and if you haven't figured it out… I'm the captain." He smiled and winked. "You won't be here long, but I do hope you enjoy your stay."

I looked around nervously, wondering what he meant by that. "I won't be here long? Are you – are you taking me back – "

"Hey, now, shhhhhhh," he said, raising a finger to his lips. "You, sweet cheeks, are going to a very special client of mine who has a taste for Terran girls," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. The aliens behind him sniggered amongst themselves though I didn't understand why.

My throat tightened with panic. A taste for Terran girls? What's a Terran? Am I going to be eaten?

"Please, I don't want to be eaten! I want to go home…" I cried, my voice fading as the aliens began to laugh.

"Girl, you aren't going home! You're going to make me a damn good profit," he said with a wide, open smile as he rubbed his hands together. I felt my skin crawl as his eyes looked me up and down. I completely forgot that I was only wearing my thin tank top and jeans.

Before I could object I was taken ahold by two new aliens on each side. They grabbed me by both arms and began roughly pulling me away from the crowd and through another hallway. I managed to get in a few good kicks, but I was already being forcefully pushed through another set of doors. My hands and knees connected painfully with the metal floor as I lost my balance, and I grunted in pain.

The doors shut behind me with a resonating click. When I looked up, my eyes widened with surprise as I realized I wasn't alone. There were four bunk beds, two on each side of the room leaving a narrow walkway down the middle. Sitting on each bed was a different woman, and they were all watching me with silent pity. When I saw two other human women, I quickly rushed to them with tears in my eyes.

"Please, tell me what's going on! I need to get out of here," I cried, hoping these women would be able to help me. They stared at me with cold, blank eyed. Up close they appeared more dead than alive.

"They're not going to answer you," said a woman sitting on the top bunk bed nearby. "They've been sedated." Her skin color was a rich purple and her hair was a vibrant yellow that reminded me of sunflowers. Judging by the length of her legs dangling off of the bed, she was very tall. "About three days ago these girls were picked up and Yondu had to sedate them because they were completely hysterical. Terrans," the woman said, emphasizing the last word with annoyance. She looked me over thoughtfully and returned her gaze to the wall across from her. "I'm Gilda by the way," she added nonchalantly.

I walked over to her side of the bed and peered up at her. "What are Terrans? Why did they take me? I asked.

Gilda rubbed the side of her head as if she was tired and then looked down at me. Her expression immediately softened and she gave an exasperated sigh.

"Listen..." she said, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Silvia," I answered.

"Listen, Silvia. You are a Terran. It's the word used to describe people from Terra, or Earth. Yondu is what they call a ravager and they'll do anything to make money," she said, rolling her eyes. "You, along with everyone else in this room, will be sold to someone who is willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money for slaves." She paused briefly before continuing. "And I'm sorry to tell you this, but there's no way you're going home," she finished quietly.

"A slave," I cried in disbelief. This can't be happening.

I started pacing the room with my hands on my head, trying to think of some way to get out of here. I ran to the door and started hammering my fists against the metal as hard as I could.

"Here we go," Gilda muttered, lying back down on her bed.

By now the other women had lost interest and were lying down as well. I pulled on the door with all of my strength willing it to open. Nothing happened. I turned around and inspected the room, eyeing a small door in the far, right hand corner. I walked down the aisle past the other disinterested women who stared blankly at the ceiling. Opening the door, I quickly realized it was a bathroom. The room was small, cold, and bare. It wasn't much larger than an airplane bathroom. There was a silver metallic seat with a hole in the middle and a sink with a small, foggy mirror.

I closed the door behind me and leaned over the sink, suppressing the urge to vomit. I lifted my head up and met my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot and sunken, and my complexion was paler than usual. If anyone looked like death, it was me. I turned the handle to the sink, feeling relieved when water began flowing out of it, and cupped my hands underneath the faucet to drink. After drinking for nearly a minute straight, I stood up already feeling better and leaned back against the wall. As I stood there looking at the mirror, an idea came into my mind, and I smiled for the first time that day.

I will not be a slave.