It's time for Thanos to enter this story for the first time!
Lylla piloted the Benatar through space towards Knowhere, her communicator on the control panel just in case Rocket called. The rest of the Guardians were preparing for the inevitable fight with Thanos, though Gamora seemed distracted by the double-sided knife she was holding.
"Lylla," Quill asked, coming into the room, "Do you know if these grenades are the blow-off-your-junk kind or the gas kind? Because I was thinking of hanging a couple on my belt right here, but I don't want to if…"
"I need to ask you a favor," Gamora interrupted. Lylla and Star-Lord turned to their green friend.
"Yeah, sure," Quill replied.
"What is it?" Lylla asked.
"One way or another, the path at we're on leads to Thanos," Gamora said.
"Which is what the grenades are for," Quill said, only for Lylla to give him a look. "Um, I'm sorry. What's the- what's the favor?"
Gamora stared out the window into space. "If things go wrong, if Thanos gets me…" she paused. "I want you to promise me… You'll kill me."
"What?" Quill and Lylla asked.
"I know something he doesn't," Gamora said. "And if he finds it out, the whole universe could be at risk."
"What do you know?" Lylla asked.
"If I tell you two, you'd know, too," Gamora stated.
Quill walked closer to Gamora. "If it's so important, shouldn't I?"
"Only if you wanna die," Gamora said.
"Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario?" Quill asked.
"Just trust me. And possibly kill me," Gamora stated.
"I mean, I'd like to, and I want to, but- " Quill said, only for Gamora to cover his mouth.
"Swear to me," she whispered. "Swear to me on your mother."
Quill to a breath, then simply answered, "Okay."
Lylla turned back to the controls, taking in what Gamora had said. Based on what she knew, the otter guessed that Gamora might know the location of one of the Infinity Stones, but Lylla would keep that theory to herself. The faster they collected the Reality Stone and/or killed Thanos, the more likely it would be that Gamora wouldn't have to die. Lylla's ears then picked up a crunching noise and turned around, seeing two things- one, Gamora and Quill were making out: two, Drax was standing there, munching on food while he watched them.
"Dude, how long have you been standing there?" Quill asked.
"An hour," Drax replied.
"An hour?" Quill asked.
"Are you serious?" Gamora questioned.
"I've mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still that I become invisible to the eye," Drax explained. "Watch." He slowly brought more food up to his face while the other Guardians watched him.
"You're eating a Zarg-nut," Lylla stated.
"But my movement… was so slow… that it's imperceptible," Drax said.
Gamora and Quill exchanged glances, shaking their heads 'No'.
"I'm sure I'm invisible," Drax insisted as he continued to crunch on his food.
"Hi Drax," Mantis greeted as she entered the room.
Drax looked at her, then walked out. "Damn it."
[***]
Finally arriving in Knowhere, the Guardians looked out into the head of the dead Celestial. The last time Lylla had been here it had been teaming with life, but now the buildings looked as dead as the head the city was carved into.
"This place looks deserted," Quill noted.
"I'm reading movement in the third quadrant," Lylla said as she tapped on her personal screen.
"Yep, I'm picking that up too," Quill stated. "Let's put down right here."
As the five Guardians exited the ship, Lylla took out her communicator and activated it. "Rocket, can you hear me?" All she got back was static. "Great, interference. Probably from the Celestial," she muttered. "Rocky, we're at Knowhere. Call me back as soon as you can."
The team quickly made their way to the Collector's palace, sneaking in through the side and sticking to the shadows in case Thanos or his minions were about the place. As they got further into the palace, they could hear a conversation between the Collector and another person, whom Lylla guessed was Thanos.
"I don't have it," the Collector said.
"Everyone in the galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add even the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection," Thanos said. His voice sent chills down Lylla's spine, reminding her of the machines back on Half-World.
Star-Lord held up his fist, but the other Guardians continued forward, finding their own hiding spots. Lylla climbed on top of one of the displays, peaking out from behind some rare crystals to see Thanos and the Collector's conversation.
"I know you have the Reality Stone, Tivan," Thanos stated. "Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering." The Titan stepped down on the Collector, squeezing his ribs.
"I told you," the Collector gasped out, "I sold it. Why would I lie?"
"I imagine it's like breathing to you," Thanos replied.
"Like suicide," the Collector said.
"You do understand," Thanos said. "Not even you would surrender something so precious.
"I didn't know what it was," the Collector stated.
"Then you are more of a fool than I took you for," Thanos said.
"It's him," Drax said.
Lylla glanced down at the warrior, then turned back to Thanos. "Last chance, charlatan," Thanos threatened, stepping down harder. "Where's the stone?"
"Today…" Drax said, "he pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter."
"Drax, whatever you're thinking, don't," Lylla hissed.
Drax pulled out one of his knives, causing Star-Lord to try and stop him from prematurely attacking Thanos. "Listen to me, he doesn't have the Stone yet," Star-Lord said. "IF we get it, then we can stop him. We have to get the Stone first. Yeah."
Drax shook his head. "No. No, for Ovette, for Camaria."
Lylla motioned at Mantis, and the alien girl quickly activated her powers on Drax. "Sleep," she commanded, making Drax go unconscious, but consequently causing a loud THUD as his body hit the floor.
"Crap," Lylla whispered, huddling in her hiding spot as Thanos threw the Collector into a container and started to walk towards the Guardians.
"Okay, Gamora, Mantis, you go right," Star-Lord commanded.
Gamora instead ran out from her spot and jumped off of a crate, jumping and taking a swing at Thanos. The Titan dodged the attack, catching Gamora's sword with his bare hand. He smirked as he gripped down on the blade, snapping it in two with his raw strength. Gamora pulled back her broken sword and stabbed it into Thanos' neck, before taking out her knife and stabbing him in the heart!
Thanos gargled as blood filled his lungs, gripping onto the knife with his Gauntlet hand. "Why?" he asked Gamora, falling to the ground. Gamora started to cry, lowering her weapon. "Why you, daughter?"
Gamora dropped her sword and crouched down, going into tears as she killed the man she had once called her father. Everyone watched the scene play out, in awe at Gamora's triumph over Thanos.
"That was quick," Quill noted.
"Too easy…" Lylla said. She stepped out of her hiding place and looked around, her senses feeling off from what her eyes were perceiving.
The Collector started to slowly clap, before going into a full-on cheer. "Magnificent!" he shouted over and over.
"Is that sadness I sense in you, daughter?" Thanos' voice asked. Lylla looked around as Gamora stood up. "In my heart, I knew you still cared." The world around them faded into red mist as the illusion was taken away, revealing the Collector's palace to be in ruins and abandoned by its master. "But no one ever knows for sure. Reality is often disappointing. That is, it was." Thanos appeared, finally in the flesh. He held up his Gauntlet, showing off the glowing red of the Reality Stone. "Now, reality can be whatever I want."
"You knew I'd come," Gamora said.
"I counted on it," Thanos corrected. "There's something we need to discuss, little one."
Gamora tried to grab her sword, but Thanos picked her up before she could do so.
"Thanos!" Drax shouted, running at the Titan.
Thanos made a fist and pointed the Gauntlet at Drax, reducing the man to cubes on the floor. The other Guardians looked at Drax in horror, before Thanos turned the Gauntlet on Mantis and turned her into ribbons.
"Let her go, Grimace," Star-Lord demanded, stepping out of his hiding spot and pointing a gun at Thanos. Lylla readied her staff from her vantage point, setting the charge to full power.
"Peter," Gamora said.
"I told you to go right," Star-Lord said.
"Now? Really?" Gamora questioned.
"You let her go!" Star-Lord shouted.
"Ah, the boyfriend," Thanos said. He looked up at where Lylla was standing. "And your pet as well."
No, I like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing long-term booty call," Star-Lord said. "Let her go."
"Or else," Lylla added, her grip tightening as anger filled her body.
"Peter," Gamora said.
"I'm gonna blow that nutsack of a chin right off your face," Star-Lord said.
"Not him," Gamora said. The two shared a look, hesitation in Star-Lord's face. "You promised. You promised."
Star-Lord hesitated, but he lowered his aim down at Gamora. Lylla held her staff in a javelin position, ready to throw it if Quill didn't make the kill. She didn't want to kill Gamora, but it meant that Thanos didn't get another Stone, then Lylla was ready to make that tough decision.
"Oh daughter," Thanos chuckled. "You expect too much from them. She's asked, hasn't she? Do it." Star-Lord continued to hesitate, forcing Thanos to push Gamora right up to the barrel of his gun. "Do it!"
"It told you to go right," Star-Lord said.
"Quill, we have to stop Thanos, at all costs," Lylla shouted, her voice on the verge of tears herself.
Gamora looked straight into Quill's eyes. "I love you, more than anything," she told him.
"I love you too," Quill replied. He breathed heavily and closed his eyes, pulling the trigger-
But only bubbles came out of the gun, with the whole weapon soon turning into bubbles as well. "I like him," Thanos said with a sinister smile.
"No!" Lylla shouted, throwing her staff as it crackled with electricity. The weapon got close to Gamora, but it quickly turned into foam noodle that bounced harmlessly off of Gamora's head. Thanos then used the Space Stone to portal away from Knowhere, taking Gamora with him.
"We… lost Gamora…" Lylla said dumbly, dropping down the two the floor. Drax and Mantis slowly pulled themselves back together, the Reality Stone's effect of them wearing off. Star-Lord picked up Gamora's broken blade as the team thought about what they should do next.
Suddenly, Lylla's communicator went off, the otter instinctively grabbing it. "Rocket? Is that you?" she asked.
"Lylla, listen to me carefully," Nebula's voice rang out.
"Is that Nebula?" Star-Lord asked.
"What is it, Nebula," Lylla said.
"I need you to meet me on Titan," Nebula instructed before the communications cut off.
Lylla put away the device, looked up at the other Guardians, and said, "Guys, I think there's still a chance to save Gamora. Set a course for Titan."
Author's Note
Not a lot changed here, but I wanted to set up a few things with Lylla's character before we got to Titan. I figured that as a Half-Worlder, her animal instincts allow her to "sense" when the Reality Stone is being used, hence why she felt off after Gamora killed fake-Thanos. I know that the Reality Stone tricks all senses, but we never saw Rocket be affected by it so we don't know if animals can tell when it's being used or not.
Next Time: The Guardians meet three of Earth's heroes and plan for the arrival of Thanos!