Chapter 3: Avenge / Revenge

~ Flashback ~

An alien planet was under attack by Thano's army. Young Gamora and her mother hid from the massacre in a shambled house. Gamora's mother held her daughter close, as if that would protect her daughter from any harm.

"Shhh. We'll be safe." Gamora's mother whispered soothingly in her ear, "We'll be safe."

Gamora screeches at the sound of footsteps behind the house and a Child of Thanos finds them and separates them.

"Zehobereans…." Ebony Maw hissed.

Young Gamora shouted and struggled against her captor, "Mother!" She yelled.

"Choose a side, or die." Ebony Maw commanded.

Still struggling, Young Gamora yelled, "Mother!" She pulled away from soldier that is dragging her and punches him as he leaves.

"One side, for reservation. The other, an honor…." Ebony Maw continues, not fazed in the slightest to the atrocities happening around him.

Young Gamora saw a tall, strong purple man standing and looking around in all the chaos. She approaches Thanos, desperate to find her mother.

"What's wrong, little one?"

Young Gamora looked up to him, "My mother. Where is my mother?"

Thanos knelt down to inspect this brave young girl, "What's your name?"

"Gamora."

Thanos gave Young Gamora a smile, "You're quite the fighter, Gamora. Come. Let me help you." Thanos took her hand and led her to a pavilion, where he produced a small red-jeweled dagger. "Look. Pretty, isn't it?" He held it out, balancing it on his finger, "Perfectly balanced. As all things should be. Too much to one side, or the other… Here. You try." He handed the dagger to Young Gamora who was enamored with the gift.

"Now go in peace, and meet your Maker." Ebony Maw clasped his hands in front of him as his order was carried out. One half of the crowd is shot down. As they screamed, Young Gamora turned slightly, but Thanos puts an hand on her head, turning her attention back to him and preventing her from seeing the massacre of her people.

"Concentrate. There! You've got it."

~ End of Flashback ~

Milano

"Gamora. Do you know if these grenades are the "blow off your junk" kind or the gas kind? 'Cause I was thinking I might hang a couple on my belt right here. But I don't want to-" Peter rambled until his girl cut him off mid-sentence.

"I need to ask a favor." Gamora cut in. The pair were standing in the hallway to the cockpit of the ship, still trying to make sense of what the hell just happened.

Peter stopped and swallowed, "Yeah, sure."

Gamora gave Peter a knowing look, "One way or another, the path that we're on leads to Thanos."

"Which is what the grenades are for." Peter said. Gamora silenced him with a look, "I'm sorry. What's the favor?"

"If things go wrong…" Gamora swallowed and continued, "If Thanos gets me… I want you to promise me… you'll kill me."

Peter froze, "What?"

Gamora sighed, "I know something he doesn't. If he finds out… The entire Universe could be at risk."

Peter looked at his girlfriend with concern, "What do you know?"

"If I tell you, you'd know, too."

"If it's so important, shouldn't I?" Peter tried to reason with her.

Gamora shook her head, "Only if you wanna die."

Peter threw his hands up in the air, "Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario?"

Gamora rolled her eyes at Peter's antics. She knew that he was upset with his sister joining up with Thor, "Just… trust me. And possibly, kill me."

"I mean, I'd like to. I really would…"

Gamora silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand, "Swear to me. Swear to me on your mother"

Peter stared into his girlfriend's terrified eyes. After a beat he responded with, "Okay."

The two kiss, until an odd crunching sound startles them. Peter and Gamora look over to see Drax eating a snack bag. Peter's eyes widened and groaned, exasperated, "Dude! How long have you been standing there?"

"An hour." Drax responded.

Peter's eyes bugged out, "An hour? Are you serious?"

Drax nodded solemnly, "I've mastered the ability, of standing so incredibly still… That I've become invisible to the eye. Watch." Drax stands motionless- until he eats more of his snack.

Peter blinked, confused, "You're eating a Zark Nut."

"But my movement… So slow… And it's imperceptible." He continued to eat the Zark Nut.

"No." Peter and Gamora shake their head.

"I'm sure I'm invisible."

Mantis suddenly walked up behind Drax and stated, "Hi, Drax."

Drax gave out a dejected sigh, "Damn it."

Peter was getting ready in his room, strapping on his weapons belt when there was a knock on his door, "Come in." He called.

The door opened and Gamora walked inside. She closed it after a couple of seconds, "How are you?" She asked.

Peter blinked, "Shouldn't I be asking you that. I mean, you're dad's trying to take over the universe."

Gamora sighed, "I'm talking about Valkyrie leaving like that."

Peter's shoulders slumped, "I guess… I'd just hopped that she'd stay, you know. I mean, I thought we were her family." Peter's voice grew louder as he ranted to Gamora, "I'm her brother for god's sake. She should be with me!" He yelled the last part in frustration.

Gamora went over and sat down on Peter's bed and pulled him down next to him, "Peter, she's hurting. Her entire planet and family got destroyed by Thanos."

"I'm still here." Peter mumbled but stopped as Gamora gave him a look.

"Just let her vent. When she's ready, she'll be back."

Knowhere

Peter, Gamora, Dax and Mantis had walked off the ship and were walking around a deserted Knowhere, "I'm reading movement." Drax stated, staring at, what looked to be, a space ipad, "From the third quadrant."

"Yep. I'm picking that up, too." Peter stated, looking at another device, "Let's put it down right here."

The group entered the Collector's collection room, which they had previously been in a couple of years ago when they had tried to sell the Power Stone to him, which is in ruin. Thanos is threatening the Collector, who is on the ground, trying to get away from him.

The remaining Guardian's hid behind the rubble.

"Everyone in the Galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection. I know you have the Reality Stone. Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering." Thanos interrogated the collector.

"I told you." The collector sobbed, his arms out, pleading with Thanos to spare his life, "I sold it. Why would I lie?"

"I imagine it's like breathing for you."

"Like suicide."

"So you do understand." Thanos stated, "Not even you would surrender something so precious."

The collector shook his head vehemently, "I didn't know what it was."

"Then you're more of a fool than I took you for. Last chance, Tivan. Where's. The. Stone?" Thanos growled out at the Collector.

"Today…" Drax began, his face in a murderous rage at seeing his adversary after so long.

Peter noticed his look and immediately tried to calm him down, "Drax. Drax."

"...he pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter." Drax continued, seemingly not hearing Peter's pleads for him to wait.

"Drax, wait! not yet, not yet, not yet." Peter pleaded with Drax, "He doesn't have the Stone yet. We get it, and then we can stop him. We have to get the Stone first. Yeah."

Drax shook his head, his mind made up, "No. No. For Ovette. For Camaria."

While this was happening, Mantis had snuck up behind Drax and put her hands on his temples, "Sleep." Drax falls unconscious, making enough noise to alert Thanos.

"Okay. Gamora, Mantis, you go right. I'm…" Peter trails off as he noticed Gamora moving towards Thanos, not paying attention to his orders. He sighed, "The other right!"

Gamora seemingly surprise attacked Thanos, stabbing him twice and appearing to killing him.

"Why?" Thanos looked up to his daughter, with the small red-jeweled dagger in his chest, the same one he had given her when they had first met. Thanos shook his head, seemingly in disbelief, "Why you? Daughter…" he falls down, holding his hand out to her, blood pooling out from his neck wound. Gamora breaks down in tears.

The rest of the group stood up from their hiding positions, shocked at the events, "That was quick." Peter quipped.

The Collector stood up and began clapping, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Magnificent! Magnificent! Magnificent!"

Suddenly, Thano's disembodied voice fills the room, and the scene disappears- everything is leveled, and Thanos is more than alive. He has the Reality Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet. The Guardian's pull out their weapons and train them on Thanos.

"Is it sadness I sense in you, daughter?" Thanos asked, walking slowly toward Gamora, "In my heart, I knew you still cared. But one ever knows for sure. Reality is often disappointing. That is, it was. Now… Reality can be whatever I want."

Gamora shook her head in disbelief and self hatred for underestimating him, "You knew I'd come."

Thanos smiled, "I counted on it. There's something we need to discuss, little one."

Drax, now awake, used this time to run at Thanos and screamed his name, "Thanos!"

With a flick of his hand, both Drax and Mantis are put out of the fight. Thanos uses this distraction to grab Gamora by the neck.

Peter pulled out his gun and held it at Thanos, seeing red, "Let her go, Grimace!"

"Peter…." Gamora pleaded, trying to remind Peter of their conversation back on the ship.

"I told you to go right."

Gamora looked at Peter, exasperated, "Now? Really?"

Peter looked to Thanos angrily, "You let her go!"

Thanos sighed, "Ah, the boyfriend."

Peter squeezed his grip tighter on his gun, "I like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing long term booty call. Let her go."

"Peter…."

"Or I'm gonna blow that nut-sack of a chin right off your face!" Peter ignored his girlfriends pleas. He knew what she was referring to but didn't want to face the reality of the situation… no pun intended.

Gamora shook her head, "Not him." Peter hesitated and didn't shoot, "You promised!" Gamora sounded like she was going to break down and sob, "You promised."

Thanos shook his head at the interaction between his daughter and her boyfriend, "Oh, daughter. You expect too much from him." Then he looked at Peter, "She's asked, hasn't she? Do it." Thanos shoved Gamora towards Peter's gun, egging him on, "Do it!"

"I told you to go right." Peter stated, his chin quivered at what he was about to do, tearing up.

"I love you, more than anything."

"I love you, too." Peter pulls the trigger- but a stream of bubbles comes out. Peter stared at the bubbles in disbelief.

"I like you." Thanos stated before teleporting himself and Gamora away as a stunned Peter watched as his friends recover from their fake deaths.

Thanos's Ship

Thanos teleported himself and Gamora to his ship. Gamora stood in the middle of Thanos's throne room. Thanos brought a little cup of food and holds it out to Gamora, "I thought you might be hungry."

Gamora looks at the bowl of soup and took it. She stared at it for a few seconds then hurled it across the room where it bangs against Thanos's chair with a loud clack, "I always hated that chair."

"So I've been told." Thanos said, his voice even, "Even so. I'd hoped you'd sit on it one day."

"I hated this room." Gamora continued as if not hearing Thanos's words, "This ship. I hated my life."

"You told me that too. Every day. For almost twenty years."

Gamora looked up to him, hatred in her eyes, "I was a child when you took me."

Thanos shook his head, "I saved you."

"No. No. We were happy on my home planet." Gamora stubbornly, or bravely, argued with Thanos.

"Going to bed hungry. scrounging for scraps. Your planet was on the brink of collapse. I'm the one who stopped that. Do you know what's happened since then? The children born have known nothing but full bellies and clear skies. It's a paradise."

Gamora snorted and growled, "Because you murdered half the planet."

"A small price to pay for salvation."

Gamora shook her head, "You're insane."

"Little one, it's a simple calculus. This universe is finite, it's resources finite. If life is left unchecked, life will cease to exist. It needs correction."

"You don't know that!"

Thanos yelled, "I'm the only one who knows that." Then in a softer voice, "At least, I'm the only one with the will to act on it. For a time...you had that same will...as you fought by my side. Daughter."

"I'm not your daughter. Everything I hate about myself you taught me."

"And in doing so, made you the fiercest woman in the galaxy. That's why I trusted you to find the Soul Stone." Thanos stated.

Gamora bowed her head, "I'm sorry I disappointed you."

"I am disappointed. But not because you didn't find it. But because you did. And you lied."

A large metal door opened. Thanos and Gamora stood there as a set of inner doors made of interlacing metal slide away. Inside, Nebula is suspended horizontally in the air in the middle of the room. Gamora's eyes widened, "Nebula."

Nebula has been partially disassembled so that she is still living, yet still slightly connected to each of her parts. Gamora turned to Thanos, shaking her head and pleading with him, "Don't do this."

"Some time ago, your sister snuck aboard this ship to kill me."

"Please don't do this."

Thanos continued, "And very nearly succeeded. So I brought her here. To talk." Thanos curls in both the power and space stones, causing Nebula's already extended pieces to stretch further outward. She begins to scream.

"Stop." Gamora begged, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Stop it. I swear to you on my life. I never found the Soul Stone."

Thanos signals a nearby servant who taps on a control pad. We hear Nebula's voice say, "Accessing memory files" and a sort of hologram of Gamora's face shudders to life.

"You know what he's about to do. He's finally ready, and he's going for the stones. All of them." Memory Nebula stated.

Memory Gamora shook her head, "He can never get them all."

"He will!"

"He can't, Nebula. Because I found the map to the Soul stone and I burnt it to ash. I burnt it." The memory ended and there was stunned silence in the room.

Thanos looked at Gamora, "You're strong. Me. You're generous. Me. But I never taught you to lie. That's why you're so bad at it. Where is the Soul Stone?" He resumes torturing Nebula for several seconds, Gamora wincing at her screams.

"Vormir!" Gamora shouted, unable to bair seeing her sister in pain. Thanos stopped the torture and Nebula gasps in air. Gamora goes to her and caresses her face, "The Soul Stone is on Vormir."

Thanos glared at Gamora, "Show me." He ordered.

Milano Escape Pod

In the escape pod from the Malino, Thor, Rocket, Groot and Valkyrie are impatiently waiting to arrive at Nivadellir.

"I am Groot." Teenage Groot stated, not even bothering to hide his irritation.

Rocket turned his head towards him with a sigh, "Tinkle in the cup. We're not looking. What's there to see? What's a twig? Everybody's seen a twig."

"I am Groot." Groot protested.

"Tree, pour what's in the cup out in space, and go in the cup again." Thor stated, looking out into space, brooding.

Val looked to Thor in shock, "You speak Groot?"

Thor looked to her, "Yes, they taught it on Asgard. It was an elective."

"I am Groot." Groot stated shortly.

Thor looked to Groot, "You'll know when we're there." Then Thor looked back to Valkyrie, "Nivadellir's forge harnesses the power of a blazing neutron star." Thor sighed, "t's the birth place of my hammer. It's truly awesome."

Rocket turned around from the controls to the escape pod to see Thor sitting sadly beside the window, and sighs. He muttered, "Okay, time to be the captain." Rocket walked to a console near by Thor, "So, dead brother, huh? Yeah, that can be annoying." Valkyrie sensed that the conversation was meant to be private, so she turned around in the co-pilot seat and stared out into space.

Since it was an escape pod they were in, Val could still hear everything that was being said, "Well, he's been dead before, but this time I think it really might be true." Thor stated sadly.

"And you said your sister and your dad?" Rocket prodded.

"Both dead."

"Still got a mom, though?"

"Killed by a dark elf."

"A best friend?"

"Stabbed through the heart."

Rocket sighed at the pain and suffering that Thor had gone through, "Are you sure you're up to this particular murder mission?"

"Absolutely. Rage, vengeance, anger, loss, regret...They're all tremendous motivators. They really clear the mind. So I'm good to go." Thor responded.

Rocket hesitated, "Yeah, but this Thanos we're talking about...He's the toughest there is."

"Well, he's never fought me." Thor replied.

"Yeah, he has."

"He's never fought me twice. And I'm getting a new hammer, don't forget."

Rocket snorted, "Better be some hammer."

"You know, I'm 1,500 years old. I've killed twice as many enemies as that, and every one would have rather killed me, but none succeeded. I'm only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is the latest in a long line of 'morons' and he will be the latest to feel my vengeance."

"And what if you're wrong?" Rocket asked.

"If I'm wrong then what more could I lose?"

Thor stood and seated himself at the front of the pod, beside Groot and behind Valkyrie.

"I could lose a lot. Me personally. I could lose a lot." Rocket takes an eyeball from somewhere on his person and holds it out, "Okay. If fate does want you to kill that crap-sack... You're gonna need more than one stupid eyeball." He gave Thor the eyeball.

Thor looked at the eyeball, questioningly, "What's this?"

"What's it look like? Some jerk lost a bet with me on on Contraxia." Rocket responded.

"He gave you his eye?"

Rocket snorted, "He gave me 100 credits. I snuck in later that night and stole his eye."

"Thank you, sweet rabbit." Thor proceeds to put the eyeball in his socket.

"Hmm. Huh? Oh. I would've washed that. The only way I could sneak it off Contraxia was up my… Hey, we're here!" Rocket turned and sat back down in the pilot's seat, next to Valkyrie.

"'Bout time." Val murmured to Rocket.

Thor smacked his palm against the side of his head, "I don't think this thing works. Everything seems dark."

"It ain't the eye." Rocket commented.

Nivadellir

Nivadellir is dark and motionless as the three near it. It seemed to be abandoned. Valkyrie watched as Thor frowned, "Something's wrong. The star's gone out. And the rings are frozen."

The group made their way to the inside the forge, where Thor, Rocket, Groot and Val walk through a seemingly abandon, and cluttered room, "I hope these dwarves are better at forging than they are cleaning…. Maybe they realized they live in a junk pile in the middle of space…" Rocket trailed off."

"This forge hasn't gone dark in centuries…." Thor remarked.

"Do you think Thanos was here before us?" Valkyrie asked quietly, her voice growling when stating that murderers name.

Apparently Rocket had the same idea that Val had. Rocket looked to a pedestal, "You said Thanos had a gauntlet, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

Rocket pointed to the outline of a gauntlet, "Look anything like that?"

"I am Groot." Groot stated.

Rocket snapped to Groot, "Go back to the pod!"

Suddenly a large figure storms towards them fiercely. Thor noted who he was and called out, "Eitri, wait! Stop! Stop."

"Thor?" Eitri halted in his rush.

"What happened here?"

Eitri shook his head, furious, "You were supposed to protect us. Asgard was supposed to protect us!"

Thor sighed, "Asgard is destroyed. Eitri, the glove. What did you do?"

Eitri paused before beginning his solemn story. "Three hundred dwarves lived on this ring. I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe. I made what he wanted. A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. Then he killed everyone anyway. All except me. 'Your life is yours.' he said, 'But your hands are mine alone.'"

Thor took Eitri by the shoulders, "Eitri, this isn't about your hands. Every weapon you've designed, every axe, hammer sword…. It's all inside your head. Now I know all hope feels lost. Trust me, I know. But together, you and I, we can kill Thanos."