Hello all,

I am slowly editing this story and in the process of getting the first chapter betaed. These first few chapters are introductions of sorts where we see where each member of the team is at and then there will be a plot. I'm too biased to say if it's a good plot but I can promise you there will be one. This chapter centers on Gamora and Drax, as well as exploring their similarities.

Let me know what you think about this chapter,

Pen


"Do you know who I am, child?"

Wide eyed, the little girl nodded her head. Tears dripped down her green face as she put all her effort into focusing on the man in front of her and not the two prone forms behind her that were oozing red.

The man's frown deepened making the ridges on his purple chin stand out even more, "Answer me." He commanded. There was a sharp edge to his voice the made the girl flinch back but her feet stood their ground all the same.

"You're Thanos." She whispered. Then said a little louder, "You're hurting my mommy and my daddy!"

The Mad Titan didn't bother to defend himself against the accusation or correct that they were already dead. "Go you know who you are, little one?"

"I-I am called Gamora." The child squeaked. She eyed his blue armor and the shiny gold plating. Her eyes flickered to the empty gilded sheath at his hip then the drawn sword held loosely in his hand. It was not shiny anymore; it was dripping.

Instead of making any move to strike at the girl who had gotten in his way, Thanos lowered his head to look her in the eyes. The little Zabhori was shaking; her bare toes were curled into the floor as a subconscious way to get physical leverage. Her little green hands were raised, not in a defensive manner but fisted as if for a last chance strike should he advance. It was pathetic looking and would have made him laugh had she not purposely been in his way.

"Do I frighten you, Gamora?" The question came like all his other words, a rumble from deep within his chest and an evaluating gaze.

Gamora tried to speak but her mouth was dry. She swallowed but it didn't help much, "You frighten everyone."

"Do you fear many things?"

She found her voice had suddenly vanished so Gamora nodded. Thanos seemed to accept the nonverbal answer this time, seemed even pleased almost.

"I can help you, my child, I can make you strong. Strong enough so you never fear any being below me again." He indicated with his unarmed hand behind her at what was once her mother and father. "I can make sure you never have to feel like this again. Powerless. Weak. I can make it so they all fear you. I can bring you to Sanctuary."

The Mad Titan paused to sheath his sword and extend his armored hand, "Is that something you want?"

"NO!" Gamora screamed jolting up like lightning only to be neutralized by how close the ceiling was to her top bunk. The force stunned her and for one terrible moment Gamora forgot everything from where she was to how to breath. All she knew was the hilt of her faithful Godslayer was in her hands so whatever danger there was at least she stood a chance. The retractable sword had been a gift form her fathe- from Thanos. But no matter how the sword had come into her position it was familiar and comforting to know she had a way to defend herself.

There was an awful wheezing sound and Gamora realized it was her. The mighty Gamora was gasping for breath, her lungs and throat burned and her body was shaking just as violently as she had on that day.

These dreams…memories like that had been far less frequent ever since Xandar. Only now when they did come it was with a vivid intensity that tore her apart inside and left a burning ghost pain all over her body. She focused on her breathing and slowly her shaking was reduced to trembling and the occasional odd gasp for oxygen.

"Just breath." She told herself.

"Faster!" Koth commanded, cracking his long whip with a sound like thunder. It was not so much the command or the unspoken threat that spurred the half dozen or so younglings on in their sprints. It was the whip, plated with small metal barbs and charged to be heated to a red-hot by a power cell in its hilt. Gamora, along with her sister by choice, a blue skinned girl called Nebula raced side-by-side. Dragging behind each of the girls were thick slabs of steel attached to them by heavy chains and tight harnesses that constricted their rib cages and made breathing available only in short pants.

They were both tied for the second place in the pack, just behind a teenage male Ra'jac. He was tall and well toned from the rigorous training they were put through. He had reptilian like features that included fangs and scales with a gold and black pattern, he had no hair and it was something both Gamora and Nebula with their dark and light hair, respectively, teased him about.

Seth always dominated whatever exercise they did, completing every task, from combat to these endurance tests with an ease his younger 'siblings' secretly envied. Even now he ran several lengths behind but about to lap them. Gamora shot a glance at Nebula who's face was scrunched up in determination, she was leaning forward and her chest was heaving. Nebula pulled forward slightly, then a lot, and Gamora, who was saving her strength, for they had been at this for she knew not how long nor how much more they had to do, was slowly left behind.

She could hear Seth's feet thundering up behind her then, ever so briefly, felt his hand graze her shoulder in as comforting a gesture as they could afford. It was these little things that meant so much in Sanctuary.

"Just breath." He whispered as he pasted.

Gamora forced her mind out of the memory with a solid shake of her head and she felt some of the tension in her neck pop. That hadn't been any specific day she'd remembered, or at least not one she could specifically place. Memories like that with muscle pain and over working lungs had to have come form the pre surgery era. It was…well not exactly a happy time. The need for and to seek out happiness was a sign of weakness in the eyes of Thanos so there were no happy times from her time under his rule in her memory.

But it had been the least horrible. There had been others to share the fear, then the pain, and later the hatred that came with the life they had been forced into; others to help bare the sorrow and help hide the weakness. Of coarse no one could do much but a smile here the brush of an elbow there, the smallest of hesitation before a final blow could mean the world to the so-called children of Thanos. They had been forced together and were made a group through suffering and agony. They had been strong and tried to look out for each other.

But none of that mattered in the end. They were all dead. Nebula had betrayed her, or perhaps it was the other way around? Either way Gamora was alone with her thoughts and that was the one thing worse then actually being there.

Her fist tightened around the hilt of her sword until the feeling in her knuckles numbed to nothingness. With a decided flick of her wrist the blade collapsed and folded in on itself until it was a third its previous size. Still holding tight to it, the green skinned woman slid off the top bunk and hit the cold floor with a muffled thud. Gamora didn't have to worry about waking anyone because Philly always slept in the cockpit. This room was more like the pilot's closet then anything else so Gamora basically got a whole room to herself. That suited her just fine. Gamora turned on the light switch and waited until her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. Then she dropped to the floor and braced her feet under the lower bunk. She crossed her arms over her chest and began to work out the nightmare from her body; the familiar and welcome burn through her midsection did nothing to still her mind.

Not so little anymore, Gamora focused on her breathing just like Seth told her to. He was right; it helped. It also helped to stare at the fixed point above her just to the right of the blinding surgical lights. There were doctors, three of them, working on her. They talked to each other in her language but used big words she didn't understand. There were noises in the background. She could hear a saw buzzing and feel the shift in her legs. She smelt her own burning flesh and had to force herself not to move. If she moved she would die; either from a surgical mistake or by Thanos' hand. If the later, it would be anything but a mistake and it would be in front of her brothers and sister and because of her own weakness.

Gamora had seen others meet fates such as that for lesser mistakes and renewed the vow each time it would never be her.

She could clearly recall the day Seth spoke out on Nebula's behalf. No longer the small, frightened child that Thanos had first brought to the Sanctuary, Gamora knew better then to show any kind of weakness; especially in front of her father. The Titan looked down upon them, his face was unreadable but his fingers tapped out a slow beat on the arm of his throne. Thanos was displeased.

There were only four of them left at the time and none of them had lasted this long by giving into weakness or fear. They had all learned when in Thanos' presence to be still and not speak unless asked directly and they all knew very well the consequences. Seth knew the consequences. And yet there he was protesting openly. Saying no.

Gamora couldn't take it any more. None of her regular coping methods were having any effect, if anything they were making it worse. She got up and swiftly moved out the door and down the hallway, taking care not to wake the others. She turned the corner to the kitchen to find with mild surprise it was not vacant.

"I awoke to a scream." Drax answered her unspoken question when he noticed her, "It sounded like my Hovet."

Gamora sat down at the table across from him, "I am sorry. I…did not mean to wake you."

"It is not of consequence. I have been thinking a lot of her and Camaria lately." Drax added wistfully.

Gamora shifted in her chair, a sign of weakness she would have never allowed herself to indulge in had she been well rested or anywhere else.

"You do not speak of them very often." Gamora said carefully.

Drax sighed, "I can not bring them back by talking about them. The only way I can find peace is to get revenge on the one who had them slain."

"…Thanos killed my family as well." Gamora said after awhile.

The Destroyer's eyes swept over Gamora. One hand was tightened into a fist with the other wrapped around its wrist. Her gaze was fixated on a point, burning a hole into the table top, but she noticed in the corner of her eye.

"My condolences."

"Like wise." There were no more words after that for a little while. Each seemed to be lost in their own thoughts of times past and people loved and lost.

"Why do you think we are having dreams about our pasts lately." Gamora asked slowly, carefully measuring her words.

"You have been having dreams too?"

She nodded and Drax hummed thoughtfully, "Hmmm…perhaps it is because here, now, we are living in a place and with people who remind us of how it used to be. Our minds are afraid of again losing what has become dear to us and is trying to brace us for what it thinks is inevitably going to happen."

Gamora frowned thoughtfully, "…I did not think of it like that."

Both the warrior's heads snapped to the doorway at the sound of heavy footsteps and Rocket's annoyed voice, "The two of you are making it impossible to sleep."

Peter was grinning ear to ear as he snuck quietly up to the cockpit. The hatch was closed so he had to use his override code to force it open. He climbed up the steep ladder and casually poked his head through. Just like he suspected, Philly was laying on her stomach with one arm dangling over the side of her hammock and her face mushed into her pillow. He pushed himself up through the hatch and, instead of dumping her to the floor like he normally would have done, poked her nose gently. The pilot stirred, scrunching up her face and rolling over.

"Pssst. Philly, wake up." Peter shook her shoulder.

He got unintelligible mumbling for a response and a blind swat that missed his face by a mile.

"Come on," he said in a whisper yell and giving she shoulders a good shake, "You have to see this!"

When he got no reaction Peter promptly over turned the hammock letting the blue haired woman fall to the floor with a thud. She was on her feet in a flash, spouting her favorite explicits along with, "What's the matter?"

Her Terran friend put his finger to his lips to shush her, "Come on you got to see this!"

She let him pull her down the stairs and down the hall but whined about how tired she was. Peter was kind enough to only lead her into the wall once.

"This better be worth it." She muttered as they rounded the corner.

It was. "Aww..." Philly cooed softly, "they're so cute when they're asleep."

Rocket, Gamora, Groot, and Drax were all slumped against each other around the table in a deep and peaceful slumber.