Chapter 34: Peter
They were back at it: the Guardians of the Galaxy saving another defenseless planet. Despite the gravity of the situation, Peter felt a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was at home here, at the controls of a sleek ship, his family buckled in behind him. This was truly the life.
His stomach fluttered as he took the Benatar around the corner of an office building at a sharp angle, the Gs pulling at him. His fingers squeezed on the blaster triggers and a stream of fire connected with a Chitauri chariot up ahead. Bullseye.
"Quill, we've got a couple on our tail," Gamora warned him, glancing away from the holo-screen in front of her copilot seat.
"No problem." Quill spun the ship in a series of tight maneuvers, bringing the enemy craft into his sights. Then he fired, and was rewarded with two bright explosions.
"Those things are pathetic," Rocket commented from the middle row.
Peter glanced back at him, chuckling. "You said it, fur-ball."
"Look out!" Gamora yelled, and Peter turned in time to see a Leviathan bursting out of the side of a building directly ahead of them.
He didn't have time to blink before Gamora grabbed the controls, swerving the ship so that it missed the armored behemoth by mere feet. But she'd taken the maneuver too far. The Benatar's left wing clipped a building with a sickening crunch and the ship spun out of control.
The ship hit the street with a jarring crash, and Peter's vision went black.
Seconds or minutes later a sharp tapping sound roused him. He looked up and saw Stark's metalclad form standing in front of the Benatar's windscreen, tapping on the glass.
"Guys?" Stark called. "You're in a tow-away zone."
Peter winced as he turned his neck to look at the others. They appeared dazed, but otherwise unharmed by the crash. "Everyone okay?"
"We're good," Rocket groaned.
Gamora unbuckled swiftly. "We need to get out of here until we know the power generator is stable." She hit the button for the door. Nothing happened, so she picked up a blaster and shot a hole through the locking mechanism. Then she shoved the door open. "Come on."
Peter followed her out into the street, looking back at the Benatar. His heart sank at the sight. The ship was probably repairable, but she was out of the fight for the day.
Stark joined them, raising his visor. "You guys okay? I saw the crash and thought I'd better check."
"We're grounded," Drax said dully.
"Yeah. Thanks to Quill," Rocket muttered.
"Hey!" Peter raised his hands defensively.
Groot gestured at the Benatar. "I am Groot!"
"Watch your language," Gamora snapped. "Besides, I had the controls." She turned to Stark. "Where's Nebula?"
Stark's expression turned grim and he didn't answer. That in itself was answer enough.
"Oh," Peter breathed.
Gamora simply nodded. Then she grabbed a discarded Chitauri spear and started down the street.
"Gamora!" Peter called after her, not bothering to hide the catch in his voice.
"I'm going to avenge my sister!" she yelled back, and even though he couldn't see her face, Peter knew Gamora was crying.
He turned to Stark. "We have to go with her."
"Wait." Stark held up his left hand, encased in Thanos' Gauntlet. "Nebula made it possible for me to get this. We need to put the Power Stone in it."
"How come you get the sparkly glove?" Rocket asked.
"Rocket, shut it," Peter ordered. He took the Orb from his pocket. "Team, you know what to do."
The other Guardians moved in, linking their hands together to form a living chain with Peter at the center. He opened the Orb and took out the Stone.
The power that surged through him in the one instant that he held the Stone was unfathomable, burning and pulsing and igniting every nerve. It wasn't exactly a bad feeling, but it wasn't a good one either. Too much, and he knew he'd be killed by it.
Stark held out his hand and Peter set the Power Stone in its place on the back of the glove's hand. As he let it go, all three Stones glowed brighter for a moment. And then the feeling of burning energy was gone.
"Nice," Stark said, flexing his gloved hand.
"Uh-huh," Peter agreed. "Try not to blow yourself up." Then he grabbed his quad-blasters, and the Guardians set off down the street after Gamora.
"No promises," Stark called after them. Then he took off.
Peter was relieved to see that Gamora's departure had been delayed by a couple of Chitauri. She was finishing off the last one with ruthless efficiency as he caught up to her.
"You can't go after Thanos alone!" he said.
Gamora faced him, tears running down her cheeks. "He killed Nebula!"
"And he'll kill you too if you do this!" Peter replied.
Gamora turned to walk away, but Peter grabbed her arm, desperate to make her wait, to understand. "Gamora … please. Don't make me watch the only woman I've ever truly loved die."
Slowly, Gamora turned back to him. "We're probably all going to die anyway," she said brokenly.
"Probably," Peter allowed. "But can't we at least die together?"
Gamora smiled ever-so-slightly. "That sounds like a plan."
Then she leant forward and kissed him, and he found himself more than happy to reply in kind.
When they surfaced, the other Guardians had caught up to them and stood watching, mixed expressions of bewilderment on their faces.
"I am Groot…" Groot said in an awed tone.
"You said it buddy," Rocket replied.
Peter turned to face them. "Guardians, let's go find Thanos."