Gamora and the Strange Liaisons
She was trained to handle anything – except her own feelings.
Gamora walked into the Jackkirby bar on Space Station and took a seat at the counter. It was late; the place was almost deserted.
"Hi, Bambi," said Leto, the owner of the bar and, at the moment, bartender. "What can I get you?"
" 'Bambi'?" said Gamora.
"I should say that there are plenty of people around here who hold grudges from the days you were doing particularly dirty work for Ronan, not to mention Thanos," said Leto, wiping out a glass. "Not sure that they would consider your current activities with the Guardians to have balanced the scales. I can call you Lady Gamora if you prefer. If you feel like attracting attention."
Gamora thought about it. She said: "Bambi it is then, and I'll have the strongest drink you've got."
Leto poured some thick ultramarine fluid into a glass. Gamora downed it at a gulp. She coughed – and then signalled for a re-fill. Leto obliged.
"So," said Leto, "what's on your troubled mind?"
"My mind," said Gamora, "is not toubled." She downed the drink, coughed again, and gestured for another.
"Uh-huh," said Leto. "Look, sister, you might be able to fool your friends with the leather and the sword and the I'm-so-cool-I'm-frozen 'tude but you can't fool me. I'm a woman, and a bartender. I saw how that song got you hot under the ... collar. Tells me that you've a bit of an itch. And not just for a roll in the hay."
"A what in the what?" said Gamora.
Leto demonstrated with a particular gesture.
"Oh," said Gamora. "That. My experience in that area is entirely limited to the ... non-voluntary variety. When my father decreed that I had to be tortured, that was a part of it."
"Yeah, I can imagine that that would put you off," said Leto. "Mind you, the voluntary sort can be pretty good. With the right partner. But you've been thinking that, haven't you?"
"No!" said Gamora. "Well, yes. A bit. Perhaps a bit more than a bit. But that is not really the problem. The problem is that I am having ... feelings. They are making me unhappy. And also happy. It is confusing. For the first time, I have friends. And that is difficult enough. But there is one that ... I would like to be more than friends with. I think. Possibly. But I believe he sees me only as a comrade."
"And you know he thinks this ... how?"
Gamora's brow furrowed. She gave another sigh. "This is all ... very ... confusing," she said eventually. "I think that perhaps I am not very good at being ... human."
"No-one really is," said Leto. "Especially when it comes to matters of the heart. But sometimes people manage to work things out, even if they seem to be completely mis-matched. Take that woman over there, for example."
She pointed to woman sitting alone in a booth. She was wearing dark glasses and a large hat. Obviously trying to not be recognised. She had a drink in front of her, half-finished.
"She comes in here occasionally, waits for a particular guy," said Leto. "Sometimes the guy arrives first, and then he'll wait for as long as it takes. They meet and then they go off together. They've been doing it every couple of months since I bought this place ten years ago, and the fellow who sold it to me said that they had been doing it for twenty years. I guess the heart wants what the heart wants. I can't say I know either of them, but it's a big galaxy."
Gamora studied the woman. She looked vaguely familiar.
Then Gamora realised.
She picked up her drink and went over to the woman, sat down beside her.
"Well well," said Gamora. "If it isn't Nova Prime. A long way from Xandar."
"Gamora!" said Nova Prime. "Well ... yes. Fancy meeting you ... here."
"So you came all the way to Space Station for a quiet drink," said Gamora. "Alone."
"Yes," said Nova Prime. "A quiet drink. Alone. Entirely alone. Yes, entirely and completely by myself."
"Uh-huh," said Gamora.
The door of the bar opened and in walked ... Yondu Udonta. All clean and spruced-up. Wearing something that might be called a suit.
He walked quickly over to the booth. "Hi, darling," he said to Nova Prime. "Sorry I'm – " And then he saw Gamora.
Nova Prime had jumped to her feet. She and Yondu stared at each other. And then at Gamora. And then at each other again.
"Oh, go ahead," said Gamora. "I won't tell anyone."
Nova Prime and Yondu smiled. Then they grabbed each other and kissed. Passionately. It was a long, serious kiss. After that, they were bouncing out the door, holding hands.
Leto came over to Gamora.
"I wish I had someone who loved me that much," said Gamora.
"Don't we all," said Leto.
At the same moment that Gamora was drowning her sorrows, Peter Quill was on Xandar, visiting an old friend. Well, not friend exactly. More like a fence.
He dragged the person – large, bound and unconscious – into The Broker's store.
"Here you go," he said, dumping the package in a corner. "One customer who neglected to keep up with their payment instalments. You didn't warn me that he was so big, and carrying a Class 3 blaster."
"Didn't I?" said The Broker. "It must have slipped my mind."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Now give me what we agreed."
"Oh, did I not mention that there are more non-paying buyers that you will need to collect first?"
Peter drew a gun. "Did I not mention that I fairly regularly kill people?" he said.
The Broker stared at the barrel pointing at his forehead. "Well," he said, "if that is how strongly you feel about it, and since you saved my planet and everything, I suppose I can provide it to you." He reached under the counter and took out a rectangular package, wrapped in some sort of hide. He pulled the hide back to expose the cover.
History of the Zen Whoberi People. The letters were in green ink, the same colour as the skin of the race.
"These solid-state multi-layered analog containers were never very good ways to convey information," said The Broker. "This is the last copy in existence. Although in this case rarity does not equal value. No-one wants it, as the Zen Whoberi people were wiped out years ago. By Thanos, I believe."
Peter picked up the book and examined it.
"Not totally wiped out," he murmured.
"Huh," said The Broker. "May I ask why you want it so badly?"
"It's a gift," said Peter.
"Really?" said The Broker. "It must be someone important to you, for you to have gone to so much trouble. Do you know that I offer a gift wrapping service, for a small charge? May I ask about the circumstances in which you plan to present it to the giftee? It would affect the choice of wrapping paper."
Peter considered. So far, he had focused only on obtaining the book. He had not really given any thought as to how and when he would give it to her. Not like she was an easy person to deal with.
"That," he said, "is something I will have to think about."
END