Chapter 6
Thirty-five years ago
Proxima Midnight's homeworld
In the war-torn world of some planet in some system that no one actually cared about, a group of Chitauri were ransacking a house for any survivors. They had already killed the father and mother of this house and they were currently sweeping the house for any survivors. This entire household was chosen, along with half of the world's population to be killed by order of Thanos in order to prevent the world of being destroyed due to overpopulation. To many it would seem genocidal, but to Thanos, it was salvation.
One Chitauri was busy ransacking a bedroom when it heard a loud clank. Snapping in attention upon hearing the noise, it growled and readied its blaster. Slowly going to where it heard the noise, it saw that the noise came from a closet. Opening the door, it looked inside, seeing that it was a closet full of clothing.
Growling, it was about to close the door when it was suddenly impaled from behind. Screaking in pain, the Chitauri looked behind it to see a little girl with blue hair and black horns on its back, impaling it with a stick with a knife tapped around one end. Screeching in rage, it slammed it's back on a wall.
The girl grunted in pain as the Chitauri slammed her into the wall again, trying to dislodge her, but she endured. Pushing her makeshift weapon deeper, the girl could hear the Chitauri screeching in pain now as tried to dislodge her by slamming her into the wall time and time again. Eventually, the girl brought out a small knife and slashed the Chitauri's throat open. As the Chitauri gurgled on its own blood, the girl began to stab it all over its face, killing it as it fell to the ground.
She kept stabbing it over and over again until her arm tired out. Dropping the knife, the girl looked at the Chitauri, blood all over it.
With the adrenaline now out of her body, the girl felt her body about to give away to exhaustion, but she refused to do so. There were still more of those things in her home and she'll be damned if she'll be captured by another of these monsters. She was about to force herself up when a shadow eclipsed her.
"Well, well, well." Said a giant purple man with a chin that had multiple sunken lines on it. His golden armor shining in the room. Observing the girl glaring at him, the man nodded his head. "Impressive kill, little one. Not many your age can kill one of my Chitauri." He then knelt down so he could get a better look on her. Seeing that she had no fear or regret in her eyes, the man made his decision. "My name is Thanos. What's yours, little one?"
Instead of answering, the girl growled and glared, causing the man to chuckle.
"We'll get along great, little one." Said Thanos before grabbing the girl.
Present
"And that's how I met Thanos and killed my first being." Said Proxima as she held her spear, letting it stay loosely on her lap.
"He killed your parents personally?" Asked Steve as he looked at Proxima, a neutral expression on his face. Deep down, though, both he and Proxima knew that he was concerned for her and his hatred for Thanos was growing.
"I don't know." Said Proxima, truthfully. "I don't believe he did though, my parents weren't that special to our planet. We were just a normal family in our world and he only personally kills those that have offended him in some way or simply fought him. It's possible my father fought him, but I never bothered to learn about it at the time. And now I'll never know, my parents were killed along with all the others that have been massacred by Thanos's forces." Steve nodded at that before asking Proxima more questions.
"So, he took you in and trained you." Said Steve, causing Proxima to nod.
"Yes. He took me in as his own adopted daughter, along with a few others, taken from worlds that he 'saved'. I was the 3rd oldest. My siblings names are Ebony Maw, Super Giant, Corvus Glaive, Cull Obsidian, Gamora, and Nebula from oldest to youngest. He trained us in the most brutal ways possible, giving us implants and cybernetics whenever our natural forms failed us." Counting the number of siblings, Steve frowned.
"Wait you said previously that you had five siblings, you gave me six names." Said Steve. Proxima then clenched her fists.
"I will never consider Super Giant to be my sister." Snarled Proxima, startling Steve. "Not after what she did." Blinking in surprise, Steve waited a few moments for Proxima to calm down before allowing her to speak.
"Anyway, must as its shames me to admit, I first believed in Thanos's goal." Said Proxima with regret in her tone. To her own surprise, when she looked at Steve, he still had that passive look on his face, not judging her on her past beliefs. Knowing that she had to continue, she spoke again. "I killed in his name, caused countless families to be fractured, and led his armies to murder children and elderly. All because I believed in him and his twisted views." As she said those words, she was clutching her free hand hard, to the point that she nearly drew blood. Fortunately, Steve stopped her before she could.
"If you believed in Thanos's cause so much, why are you rebelling against him now?" Asked Steve, seeing Proxima's anger, not just at Thanos, but also at herself.
"Well it started with Gamora, my little sister." Said Proxima before explaining.
Years ago
Zen-Whoberi
On a ravaged city of the Zehoberei, the native sentient species on Zen-Whoberi, Proxima was giving orders to a group of Chitauri.
"Check every corner in this city." Ordered Proxima, now a woman in her, seemingly, twenties. "If even one native is unaccounted for in the final purge, Thanos will have all our heads." The Chitauri growled and bowed before leaving for their task. Once they were gone, Proxima lifted her left wrist and spoke to a communicator on it.
"I've ordered my remaining forces to check for any Zehoberei that are still hiding, Ebony, hold off until they finished their sweep." Said Proxima before cutting her call with her brother. With that done, she looked over to see Chitauri dragging people to one group out of two. One that will be sacrificed for the good of the species and the other that will ensure that their sacrifice will not be in vain. The group that would be spared was full, filled up to the maximus as Thanos requested, so now they were dragging any people they find to the sacrifice group, which was an ongoing process. To her anger, she saw many Zehoberei trying to fight them or begging them to spare them or their children.
Did they not see the importance of Thanos's mission? If they didn't do this, then their entire species will die fighting each other as the last of their planet's resources dwindles. She was about to go and handle a particular stubborn family when she heard a little girl yelling. If she had been calm, Proxima may have ignored it and went on her way, but in her anger, she decided to turn her head and, unknowingly sealed her fate.
To her left, she saw two Chitauri dragging both an old woman and a young girl towards the sacrificial group. The old woman was begging, in her own language, to spare them, but the Chitauri ignored her. Then, to Proxima's amusement, the little girl bit the hand of the Chitauri that was holding her. She must have put significant pressure into her bit because the Chitauri shrieked out in pain, dropping the girl as it did so.
Blinking, Proxima looked on as the Chitauri turned toward the girl, hatred in its eyes. It then tried to grab her, but the little girl slipped under it and went to the Chitauri escorting her mother to the sacrificial group. Seeing this, the Chitauri pursued her.
Proxima, intrigued, went after the girl. She didn't know why, but the little girl had her attention. Perhaps it was because she reminded a bit of herself.
Pushing her way past some Chitauri and locals, she eventually found the little girl in a small crowd. The Chitauri had been following her was now looking around, oblivious to where she was. Rolling her eyes at the Chitauri's stupidity, Proxima made her way to the little girl just as the crowd dispersed. When she found the girl, she was paused. She was stunned at who found her.
Standing before the girl, in her white hooded robes, was Super Giant, looking at the girl with amusement and sadistic pleasure.
Clenching her fists, Proxima glared at the blue-skinned humanoid as she was looking at the child, thinking on what to do with her.
Like the rest of the Black Order, Proxima hated Super Giant. The woman was vile in very sense of the word. Due to her powers as an Omni-path, something that she was proficient at, she believed herself superior to everyone else, even Ebony, who she deemed inferior, despite his skills in telekinesis. Her arrogance made her obnoxious to deal with on a daily basis. She constantly flaunted around her beauty in their faces, especially to Proxima, as well as bragging to them that she was better than them all combined because of her powers. If it wasn't for her powers and her usefulness to their father's mission, they would have killed her long ago. Proxima hated Super Giant for other reasons, however.
Unlike the others, who only hated Super Giant because of how she arrogantly announced herself to be the most powerful of the Black Order, she hated Super Giant because she took it upon herself to make Proxima look weak and useless to their father. Despite her powerful abilities, Super Giant was often looked over by Thanos for Proxima, finding her discipline and skills in hand to hand to be more useful in certain situations over Super Giant's tendency to drag out assignments. There was also the fact that Proxima had broken Super Giant's nose when they first met after the girl had insulted her horns. As a result, Super Giant made it her life career to hinder Proxima's ability to earn the approval of their father by sabotaging her efforts in whatever joint operations they had together. She also tried to take credit for all of Proxima's hard work, something that angered Proxima and almost caused a clash between the two females if it wasn't for Corvus and Ebony stopping them.
But the final straw came when Super Giant had implied to Proxima that the only reason that she was selected by Thanos was because her race was so weak that Thanos took pity on Proxima, training her to be a much better killer than even the most skilled warriors on her home planet. That destroyed any chance of them reconciling as Proxima, after growing old enough to learn such things, learned that her race had been one of the more difficult races for Thanos to save. Their ferocity in battle was something that caused the titan to respect the race enough that he took Proxima as a daughter, seeing the potential in having such a powerful warrior in his ranks.
Despite her role in her father's mission, Proxima felt a bit of pride for her race for holding out so long against the titan and it caused Proxima to nearly throw her spear at Super Giant in rage. And honestly, she would have if their father wasn't there, judging them both for a mission that they nearly failed to complete. After that, the two were on hostile terms with each other.
And here she was, trying to take something that Proxima herself was interested in. Undeterred, Proxima walked up to Super Giant as she spoke.
"Well, this is interesting." Said Super Giant. "I saw your little scuffle with my Chitauri, little one. Tell me, what do you hope to gain by resisting?" She then flexed her fingers. "If it were any other time, I would be entering your mind and break it with your worst nightmares. But I'm feeling generous today. Follow me and I'll lead you to your mother." Super Giant then motioned for the girl to follow her. At first, the girl looked tempted to follow Super Giant, but something stopped her and she shook her head.
"Your lying. You're not going to lead me to my mother." Said the girl as she backed away. "Stay away from me, witch." Upon hearing that, Super Giant sneered and prepared to use her mind powers on the girl when Proxima stepped up and placed the child before her.
"You are not to harm this child." Said Proxima, glaring at Super Giant as she recovered form the sudden intrusion. Upon seeing Proxima Midnight, Super Giant glared at her. The two starred at each other, exchanging glares of hate, while the little girl stayed close to Proxima, hugging her thigh tightly.
"Are you going soft, Proxima?" Demanded Super Giant as she lifted her head haughtily, floating above Proxima to demonstrate her powers. "Should I put you down so that father doesn't have to embarrass himself by doing it himself?" Snarling, Proxima continued to glare at Super Giant.
"We already won, Super Giant. There is no need to further harm these people. If we harm this one, we may break the balance that our father wants to implement for this world." Said Proxima. Super Giant scoffed at that.
"Poor excuse for your softness, Proxima." Said Super Giant as her eyes glowed, indicating her usage of her powers. Just before she could use them, however, a booming voice stopped her.
"Enough." Said the only voice that could make Super Giant stopped and shake in fear. Turning around, both Proxima and Super Giant saw Thanos coming up to them, a impassive look on his face.
"Father." Said Super Giant as she floated back to the ground. "I was merely teaching Proxima a lesson. She tried to take away this child away from the sacrificial group. For what reason, I have no idea. Should we not punish her for doing such a thing?" Thanos, however, wasn't listening. Instead, he looked at the little girl holding Proxima's thigh. Starring at her, Thanos knelt down and looked at the child's beautiful brown eyes.
"I see." Said Thanos, seeing something in the child that sparked his interest. "You're both dismissed. I'll take it from here."
Surprised to hear this, Super Giant was about to protest, but Thanos raised his hand, indicating that his orders be followed. Scowling, Super Giant nodded and gave Proxima one last glare before taking off. Scoffing at Super Giant, Proxima, nevertheless followed those orders and left Thanos to deal with the little girl. Walking away, she went up to Corvus Glaive, who had just returned with a group of Zehoberei he found.
Out of all her relationships with her siblings, her relations with Corvus was the most normal as they both respected each other's skills with a blade and found they can connect because of their lack of super powers that Ebony and Super Giant had. She would have the same relationship with Cull Obsidian, but the largest member of the Black Order was too dimwitted to ever have a conversation with. The best she could get out of him was a simple yes or no and even that was difficult to accomplish.
Nodding at Proxima, Corvus pushed the Zehoberei to the sacrifice group. With that last group, Ebony began to make a grand speech of the greater good and how they have been given a great honor by Thanos. Having heard it a hundred times, Proxima tuned out of Ebony's speech and looked around, eventually finding her father teaching the little girl she found how to balance a small knife. Frowning, Proxima wondered what Thanos had in store for the child.
"It seems that we have a new member to our group, sister." Said Corvus, eyeing what Proxima was looking at.
"Perhaps." Said Proxima as she looked as the girl balanced the knife perfectly.
Later
Thanos's flagship
"Father. You wished to see me?" Asked Proxima as she knelt before her father in his throne. To her surprise, she saw the Zehoberei girl from before with him. Hiding her surprise, Proxima said nothing as Thanos commanded her to rise.
"Yes, my daughter. I wish for you to be the first one to see your new sister." Said Thanos as he looked at the Zehoberei girl. "This little one had lost her mother, taken from her unjustly by our own forces. To rectify this, we must redeem ourselves in her eyes. Therefore, since you had protected her from Super Giant, I'm placing you in charge of her." Widening her eyes in shock, Proxima opened her mouth to speak, but Thanos spoke again. "You will teach her everything you know of fighting. How to hunt and how to kill. And you will educate her in other areas, like her species' culture and the state of the galaxy. Do you understand?" Frowning, Proxima bowed her head.
"If that is your will, father." Said Proxima. Nodding his head, Thanos looked at the Zehoberei girl.
"Go to her little one. If she harms you, tell me. I will rectify it as soon as possible." Said Thanos, causing Proxima to wince a bit, knowing how Thanos will rectify her behavior around the Zehoberei child. The girl nodded before going over to Proxima, who looked at the girl with an impassive face. "Take her to your quarters, Proxima. Her living quarters are still being made, so until they're complete, she will be living in your quarters." Proxima nodded at that before walking away, the little Zehoberei girl following.
Once they were out of earshot of Thanos, Proxima looked at the Zehoberei child.
"Let us introduce ourselves." Said Proxima. "I am Proxima Midnight. What's your name little one?" The Zehoberei child, after a moment of hesitation, spoke.
"Gamora." Said the child.
Present
"And thus, I was entrusted to take care of my little sister." Finished Proxima as she recalled Gamora and how she first met her.
"And her mother is dead?" Asked Steve. Proxima nodded.
"We didn't make any other exceptions that day." Said Proxima as she recalled just how coldly they cut down so many people. The screams, like so many, haunted her. "I'm not asking for forgiveness, Steve. I know that I'm not worthy of such a thing. The best I can do is atone and hope that people will not follow my path." Steve frowned at that.
Looking at Proxima, he saw the sadness in her eyes, how she dropped down her head as she recalled the countless people she had slain and helped kill during her long life. It was like watching a murderer suddenly developing a sense of regret after killing so many people and is being crushed by the sense of regret and self-loathing they now have.
As much as his naïve self wanted to forgive her, he knew that she can never be forgiven, nor did she want to be.
He didn't know how many people she helped kill, but he did know that it was enough to make even Fury take a step back. She could never be forgiven for the countless deaths that she caused and helped, but Steve knew that she was trying to make amends for it and that was fine with him.
"Proxima, what you did is unforgivable." Said Steve, causing Proxima to look at him. "If we had meet before, I would have killed you without hesitation." Proxima nodded, alright with that. "But I can see that you're hurting, that you want to make up for what you've done and that's why I'm giving you a chance. Because, if I just condemn you to death while acknowledging that you want to atone for your mistakes, then I'm no better than Thanos." Looking at Steve fully, Steve could see respect and a bit of gratefulness in Proxima's eyes before she swiftly casted it away.
"Thank you." Said Proxima as she looked away. "For those kind words. But we're getting of topic. After taking her under my wing, I trained Gamora everything I know. I trained her how to handle various blades. I taught her how to use an opponent's strengths against them and I taught her all the necessary things she needed to know if she wanted to be a productive member of society. She took it all in and, during those sessions, we became close." Proxima then pressed a button on her gauntlet. Soon a robot came and had a small box in its hands. Taking it, Proxima brought out a metal stick. Pressing a button on the stick, Proxima watched as the stick produced a holographic image on its left side.
"During her 2nd year as a daughter of Thanos, she made me this." Said Proxima before showing the hologram to Steve. In it, Steve could see a crude depiction of Proxima fending off what he could only assume to be Super Giant, with the way it had sharp fangs and massively mis-portioned body parts. Behind the depiction of Proxima was a little green girl, which was obviously Gamora.
"Super Giant would have killed Gamora for this if she ever found out." Said Proxima with a small smirk. "Fortunately, she never did. And it's not like she could have ever done anything to her because, for some reason, Thanos made Gamora his favorite daughter. I don't know why, but something about Gamora sparked something in him, something that he never showed to the rest of us." Proxima then put away the stick before speaking again. "Anyway, once it became prevalent that Gamora was Thanos's favorite, Super Giant began to despise her. She saw her as weak and inferior to her. If it wasn't for the fact that Gamora was the favorite of our father, she would have killed her long ago. So, she took her anger on me because, in her eyes, if it wasn't for me, Gamora wouldn't be around. At first, they weren't anything I couldn't handle. She just amplified her attempts to make me look bad in front of our father. In vain." Proxima then began to chuckle in amusement, causing Steve to frown, disapproving her amusement.
"So, you two still hate each other?" Asked Steve.
"Yes. Even after she's dead, I still hate her." Said Proxima before frowning. "But as much as it displeases me, I wouldn't be here, helping you, without her help." That caused Steve to blink in surprise.
"What happened?" Asked Steve. Proxima sighed before explaining.
Past
Sanctuary II
"He was mine!" Yelled Super Giant as she slammed a fighter towards a wall, crushing two Chitauri into paste.
"Calm yourself, Super Giant." Said Ebony as he floated away, eager to get away from Super Giant. "The mission was still a success and that is all that matters. Father cares little if your pride is broken." Corvus and Proxima stayed silent as Cull Obsidian carried their trophy to father.
It had been a standard assignment. Thanos has called his entire Black Order to hunt down a warlord that had begun attacking worlds that Thanos saved. He wasn't anything too special, just a small fleet and some relatively strong warriors, not enough to warrant the entire Black Order, but Thanos wanted to spread a message to those that dare attack the worlds he saved. And what better message to send than sending all of his children, regarded as his deadliest of enforcers, to attack this one being that earned his ire.
Nothing went wrong with the mission. They killed the warlord and Cull was now delivering his corpse to their father. Their massacre of the warlord's forces were broadcasted as a warning to those that dare attack worlds that Thanos saved.
The issue for Super Giant, however, was that Proxima had killed the warlord and not herself. Just as she was about to breech the warlord's quarters, Proxima came in from a ventilation system and beheaded the man while he was busy shaking in his boots in fear and Super Giant has seen Gamora do it. If it was any other warlord, Super Giant would have been fine, but this warlord had actually managed to wound her, scratching her face with a throwing knife during the initial confrontation, causing Super Giant to want to kill the man with her own hands. To make matters worse was that, if Super Giant hadn't taken her time with the warlord's men, she may have killed him herself.
As a result, Super Giant was, basically, being a brat.
"Bold words, Ebony." Said Super Giant as she glared at Ebony, who already was leaving. "If you had been the one that stole that kill from me, I would have killed you for that remark." Ebony Maw, who honestly didn't care what Super Giant thought, just waved his hand before fully departing via an elevator. Once he was gone, Super Giant looked at Proxima, glaring at her with hate.
"Do not blame me for your inability to stay focused on the objective." Said Proxima, also glaring. "If you hadn't been so focused on torturing your enemies, you would have the honor of killing the prize."
"Honor this. Honor that! Do you say anything other than honor!?" Demanded Super Giant as she floated over to Proxima. Corvus, seeing the tension in the air, wisely stepped away from all this. "You speak of honor, yet you massacre countless families in our father's name. An honorable warrior of your species would not do such things!" Upon hearing that, Proxima brought out her spear.
"Do not dare bring up my species!" Yelled Proxima as she pointed her spear towards Super Giant. "You do not know anything about my people!" Super Giant just scoffed.
"Your limited knowledge of your people just shows how stupid you are, Proxima." Snarled Super Giant. "I know all about your people's culture. And I must say, your parents would be disappointed in you. They might have disowned and even try to kill you. That just shows how fallen from grace you have become." Upon hearing that, Proxima yelled out and fired a blast from her spear. Super Giant just dodged it and then attempted to use her powers, but Proxima was already on her, tackling her to the ground and attempted to ram her spear on Super Giant's throat. Before she could, however, Corvus managed to grab her and pulled her off Super Giant.
"Proxima, stand down!" Yelled Corvus as he restrained Proxima as she attempted to force herself from Corvus's grip. "If you kill Super Giant, our father will kill you for killing one of his best enforcers. And If you die, Gamora will be heart broken." Upon hearing Gamora, Proxima stopped and looked at Corvus, who nodded, knowing how much Proxima cared for Gamora and vice versa.
Super Giant, meanwhile, was about to prepare an attack when Ebony spoke up, having returned to pick up something from their ship.
"I do what Corvus is suggesting, Proxima. Thanos will not be pleased to hear of Super Giant's death at your hands." Said Ebony. Proxima, looking at Ebony, growled before shrugging off Corvus, who let go. With no one to stop her, Proxima went over to the elevator so she can walk to her quarters. As she passed Super Giant, however, she punched the woman in the face, breaking her nose.
"You little…!" Yelled Super Giant as she prepared her powers again, only for Ebony to stop her by placing a sword near her throat.
"Enough fighting, Super Giant. Don't embarrass yourself any further." Said Ebony as Proxima left. Once the source of her anger was gone, Super Giant yelled out and pushed the sword out of her way, taking off for her own quarters, which was thankfully several levels away from Proximas'.
"Those two are constantly on each other's throats." Said Corvus once Super Giant was gone.
"Indeed. And it only has gotten worse now that Proxima is taking care of Gamora." Said Ebony as he thought of the consequences of this recent clash between the two females.
"You think that Super Giant will." Said Corvus.
"Normally I think people aren't that stupid but, given how many times people have offended or refuse to see our father's good intentions, I believe its possible Super Giant may attack Gamora, regardless of the consequences." Said Ebony Maw.
"Should I inform father to keep an eye on Super Giant?" Asked Corvus Glaive. Ebony nodded.
"Best to be cautious." Said Ebony before taking off for the ship.
Proxima
"That Super Giant." Said Proxima as she stomped to her quarters, where she can cool off. "What does she know of my people? She has no knowledge of our culture. Our ways." Yet, even as she said those things, Proxima couldn't help but wonder if Super Giant was right. That a tiny part of her was wondering if Super Giant was right and that she had no true knowledge on her species culture.
What she knew about them was given to her by tutors that were loyal to Thanos. She never went to her home world even since Thanos took her, seeing no point in doing so. And she never read anything about the status of her planet since that day, only believing what Thanos told her about her planet. That it was thriving, and the people no longer had to deal with hardship due to strained resources.
As she dwelled on Super Giant's words, the more that she had this nagging feeling that she didn't have the full story. Before she could even think on what to make of these thoughts, she suddenly received a hug to the thigh from Gamora.
"Your back." Said Gamora with a smile as she looked at Proxima. Seeing her face, Proxima stroked her hair as Gamora let go.
"Yes, the mission had been easier than expected." Said Proxima with a small smile, all past worries now gone upon seeing her little sister. "Let's go to your quarters. You must have much to talk about." With that the two sisters went to Gamora's room, which was placed next to Proximas' on order of Thanos, feeling that it wouldn't hurt to have the two-living close to each other. And it was something that both were satisfied with.
As, during their time together, Proxima and Gamora grew close. At first, Proxima treated her like her other siblings when they were growing up. A child that needed to be trained to be strong in order to help their father realize his dream.
But as time went on, Proxima eventually formed a bond with Gamora. She didn't know why, but the little girl grew on her. She wanted to protect her. To bond with her.
As for Gamora, the fact that Proxima protected her from Super Giant the first time they met, made her look up to Proxima as a sort of guardian or angel, making her want to be close to her as a result.
And as time went on, Proxima began to spend more time with Gamora, not to just train her, but to actually just spend time with her little sister, causing her to have a better relationship with Gamora than any other of her siblings.
It was something that was scorned by Ebony, but Proxima didn't care. He could yell at her all day and night for a whole week about the consequences of forming attachments with others and she still wouldn't care.
Taking Gamora to her room, Proxima sat on her bed while Gamora sat beside her.
"What have you've been doing while I was away little one?" Asked Proxima as she stroked Gamora's reddish-black hair.
"I've been practicing my swordsmanship." Said Gamora. "I can't wait to grow old enough to help you in your mission."
"I'm sure you'll be a fine warrior. One that may surpass me in skill." Said Proxima, hiding a bit of pride at Gamora. "But for now, be patient. Your time will come." Proxima then got up and went to a desk, containing some history books. "Let's focus on your studies, particularly history. Thanos wants warriors for children, not mindless drones. He has enough of those. We need to understand why Thanos does what he does because without a worthy cause to fight for, we're no better than the fools we fight for." Gamora nodded as Proxima sat back down on the bed and looked over the book she took from the desk. As she was flipping through the pages, looking for a species that they haven't gone over, Gamora suddenly stopped her.
"Isn't that your species?" Asked Gamora, pointing a page that contained a picture of a woman that looked like Proxima, with the horns and grey skin. Looking at the picture, Proxima blinked as she placed a hand on the picture.
"Yes." Said Proxima after a while. "Yes, it is." She then looked at Gamora. "We haven't inspected this species before. Do you wish to do so?"
"Yes." Said Gamora with a smile. "I want to know more about you." Proxima nodded at that.
"Very well." Said Proxima before beginning their lesson on her species.
To begin on such an extensive topic, Proxima went something basic, like her species' name and basic cultural aspects. Not to Proxima's surprise, Gamora excelled much in learning about her people, even more so than usually. Likely because she was interested greatly in learning about her older sister's native species.
"Your people place much emphasis on justice." Said Gamora as she read about their laws and customs.
"Yes." Said Proxima as she read about her species. "We do." The more she read into it, however, the more she frowned, feeling something was off.
She had always been told by her father that her people were a warlike species that placed great emphasis on strength and fighting for a worthy cause. Yet here, it was the opposite. They placed more emphasis on fighting for a just cause and fighting those that try to prey on the weak.
It was nothing like what was told to her from Thanos, nor from his history books. As she contemplated on what this was about, Gamora nudged her to continue.
"Sorry, little one." Said Proxima, looking at her little sister. "I was distracted by something. Its nothing important. Let's continue."
After two more hours, Proxima gave Gamora her assignments for the week and left. Upon leaving her room, however, Proxima pondered on what she just read.
Everything about her species' was a complete contradiction to what she believed as a child. She needed to speak to her father about this. As she was about to take off, she heard a snarl. One that she was familiar with.
Growling, she turned to see Super Giant coming over, a scowl on her face.
"What do you want?" Demanded Proxima as she glared at her sister in title only. Super Giant just growled before speaking.
"Father wishes to speak to you." Said Super Giant. "He says its about Gamora." Raising an eyebrow, Proxima left, purposely bumping into Super Giant and leaving quickly before she could yell at Proxima.
Snarling, she looked over to Gamora's room and smirked.
A minute later
Proxima
"What does father want with me?" Asked Proxima as she pondered on what her father wanted to discuss with her about Gamora. Perhaps it was further combat training? Or rather it was about her other studies. Thinking on it, she decided to bring up the discrepancy between the version of her species in Gamora's books and the ones that were given to her as a child.
Deciding to bring the book with her, Proxima turned around and went to Gamora's room, thinking of ways to convince her that she needed it. As she was making her way back, she heard a scream coming from Gamora's room.
Blood going cold, Proxima rushed to Gamora's quarters and opened the door. Widening her eyes in shock, Proxima found Super Giant using her powers on Gamora, if the little girl's tightly closed eyes were any indication. The sadistic smile just reinforced that thought.
Rage filling her, Proxima tackled Super Giant and slammed her to the ground. Getting up, Proxima brought out the hidden sword in her left gauntlet and pointed it at Super Giant's throat.
Taking a second to look at Gamora, Proxima felt a tug on her heart as she saw tears coming down from her eyes as the little girl opened them, looking around in fright.
Hearing a snarl, Proxima looked back at Super Giant, glaring at her in rage.
Glaring back with similar anger, Proxima was about to kick Super Giant when the blue-skinned alien invaded her mind, flooding it with painful memories.
Yelling out in pain, Proxima clutched her head with her hands, leaving her open for Super Giant to push her back with her telekinetic powers. Super Giant then pushed her to a wall, sending books and writing utensils to the floor.
"You and this little girl." Said Super Giant, glaring at Proxima as she further slammed Proxima to the wall, keeping her pinned. "So, kind to each other. It's sickening." She then clenched Proxima's face, turning side to side. "You think that you can just have a normal life after what you've done. What we've done? I always pegged you as stupid, Proxima, but not this much." Proxima growled at that, trying to stab her sword at Super Giant's side when Super Giant stopped it with her free hand.
"Don't try to fight it Proxima." Said Super Giant. "You know I'm right. I knew long ago what we're doing isn't saving the universe. Our father may think so, along with our brothers', but I know better. I know that all he's doing is just slaughter. If my words won't convince you, then perhaps this will." Super Giant then began to flood Proxima's mind with painful thoughts. It showed the memories of all those that Super Giant killed. Their final moments before she ended their lives.
Despite her attempts to fight it, the memories continued to persist. They showed people begging Super Giant to spare their children and loved ones. There were memories of people being selfish, yes, but the majority of them showed people ready to sacrifice themselves if their loved one's lived. Often they failed.
All these memories caused Proxima to yell out in pain, trying to hold her head, but Super Giant stopped her, wanting her to feel all the pain of those she killed.
"You feel it!?" Demanded Super Giant, relishing in the pain that she was causing Proxima Midnight. "All those that have been slain by my hands. That is a mere fraction of the people we've killed. The families we've slain. The lives we've ruined. And now you go and try to have a good relationship with your little sister. I don't mind your decision, Proxima, in fact I approve. The sheer insult you do by being friendly with your little sister is more than enough to spit on the face of those that we've killed. If you were anyone else, I would congratulate you and move on." She then grabbed Proxima's throat and squeezed. "But you and that little bitch irritate me to no end. Thanos give both of you more recognition when I should be receiving it. I should be his favorite daughter. Not either of you." She then glared at Proxima, who simply stayed strong, not willing to give Super Giant the satisfaction of seeing her grovel.
"Since I can't harm Gamora, I'm going to just have to hurt you all the more." Said Super Giant. "When I'm done, you'll be begging me to kill you."
"I'd like to see you try." Spat out Proxima, causing Super Giant to smirk.
"Very well." Said Super Giant before her eyes started glowing white. She then began to psionically assault Proxima's mind with her powers, trying to destroy her will to fight. At first, Proxima tried to fight it, but eventually, she began to scream out in pain. Super Giant powers were slowly and painfully probing her mind, taking apart anything and everything that made Proxima herself. It was like having thousands upon thousands of cold knives being jabbed into her brain. It was unbearable. Proxima tried to fight it, but Super Giant swatted aside any attempts from Proxima to resist.
Laughing out loud, Super Giant was about to commence the 2nd phase of her torture when she felt a stab on her thigh.
Screaming in pain, Super Giant stopped her torture to see Gamora stabbing her thigh with a writing utensil.
Snarling in rage, Super Giant slapped the girl, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into another wall, causing her to drop the utensil.
"You little brat!" Snarled Super Giant, glaring at Gamora with hate. "I don't care if I get punished for this, but you need to be disciplined." Super Giant then prepared to flood Gamora's mind, ready to do what she did to Proxima to Gamora. Before she could, however, she gasped out in pain.
Looking down, she saw a sword sticking out of her throat. Before she could do anything, a hand was on her right shoulder and pulled her deeper into the sword.
"I think Thanos is better off without you." Said Proxima, weary and tired from the torture she just endured. With a weak grunt, she pulled her sword out of Super Giant's throat. Not one to take chances, Proxima stabbed Super Giant in the forehead, killing her. Pulling it out again, Proxima slumped to the ground, exhausted like never before.
Panting like a tired animal, Proxima felt tiny arms wrapping around her and a small head embedding itself on her chest.
"Is the bad woman gone?" Mumbled Gamora as tears stained Proxima's combat suit. Weakly wrapping her arms around her sister, Proxima shuffled toward a wall to lean on.
"Yes, little one." Said Proxima, looking over at Super Giant's corpse. "She's gone. Forever."
Present
"And was Thanos angry with you for killing his other daughter?" Asked Steve, a bit quiet once Proxima was finished. Proxima just shook his head.
"No." Said Proxima. "When I told him everything, he just went up to me and congratulated me, saying I only did what I needed to do to protect myself and my sister." She scoffed. "He didn't care about Super Giant's death, saying it was time for her death. And the others didn't care. We all hated Super Giant. They could care less if she died by our hands." Steve frowned at that, unbelieving just how cold Thanos really was and detached the Black Order was from each other. From what he could tell, Thanos only adopted his children so they could be warriors and soldiers for him. Nothing else. Just thinking of a man taking children so he could have more soldiers made Steve clench his fists in anger.
"What happened after that? What happened to Gamora?" Asked Steve, once he calmed down.
"Once I taught her everything I could, she began to be trained by Thanos himself." Said Proxima. "It was a shock to the rest of us. He never personally trained anyone, only letting his instructors and tutors to do it. But for Gamora, he went all out. Teaching her everything he knew. Secrets that even I didn't know. Eventually, she became known as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy." Steve could hear a sense of pride from Proxima upon hearing her declare Gamora as the most dangerous woman in the galaxy. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Deciding to ignore it, Steve asked another question.
"You still kept in contact?" Asked Steve.
"Yes." Said Proxima. "Though she was trained as an assassin and primarily went on solo missions, she still visited me from time to time. The few times that we fought together…they were some of the best moments of my life. Seeing just how far my little sister has grown up." Steve could see a small smile form on Proxima as she remembered happier times. But then he saw her frown. "But as the years went by, I began to feel…I don't know…empty. Previously I did my duty without question, but as time went on, I began have 2nd thoughts on my duty for Thanos."
"Was it because of what Super Giant did?" Asked Steve.
"I believe so. A few years after I killed Super Giant, I began to suffer nightmares. People begging to spare their families, to not kill them. I suspect that Super Giant planted them as a back up in case she died. Must have been done so that, when the times comes, Gamora was old enough to be able to kill me. She must have wanted Gamora to kill me. Either that or make me want to commit suicide." Explained Proxima, enraged a bit at Super Giant. Steve stayed quiet, feeling that Proxima was correct in both of her assumption.
"Anyway, at first, I ignored them, but as time went on, I began to question the validation of Thanos's plan. I didn't bring it up to anyone because I felt that it would have made me weak or losing faith in my father's plan. And those that do lose faith tend to end up dead or become zealots." Said Proxima, an itch of fear in her voice. Steve nodded as he suspected how Thanos made people think twice of challenging his ideals.
"Whenever I killed, I felt regret." Said Proxima. "Whenever I saw Thanos do his purges, I felt sadness. And when I…sleep, I see the faces of those I killed, accusing me of killing them." That caused Steve to blink in surprise. He then lowered his head in sympathy, having heard these symptoms from Bucky back during their fight with HYDRA. Soldiers suffering from PTSD. Except for Proxima, it was probably much worse.
"Do you still have them?" Asked Steve. Proxima hesitated for a few seconds before nodding, causing Steve to stare at the ground.
"I don't need help, Steve." Said Proxima, looking at him. "I don't deserve it. Not after what I've done. I can only minimize what I've done my ending the monster that sentenced so many to die." Despite the conviction in her voice, Steve could hear the tiny trace of self-hate in her voice. The misery. It reminded him of his own self-hate for choosing Bucky over Tony. How much he hated himself for making such a choice and hurting one of his best friends. Deciding to finish this later, he spoke to Proxima.
"Anyone else have these thoughts as you? In the Black Order." Said Steve.
"No. The others didn't care as much as I did." Said Proxima. "Ebony may have suspected for a time, but after seeing my continued fight for Thanos, he ignored me, satisfied that I can still fight for my…"father". But then, Gamora happened. She did the one thing that I never had the courage to do until a few days ago. She broke off from Thanos." Steve widened his eyes in surprise, a bit stunned to hear that.
"She did?" Asked Steve, concern for this Gamora growing. It didn't seem Thanos was the type of person that took too kindly to betrayal.
"It was a shock to us all when we all heard it. Ebony wanted to bring her in. Torture her. Break her until she learned the error of her ways. Then kill her. Corvus, I suspected, respected her gull. And Obsidian…well he just shrugged, he didn't care at all about Gamora. Me, while I was thinking of the validity of Thanos's ideals, I still was loyal to him. I felt betrayed. Hurt that the one sibling that I grew close had betrayed both me, the woman that helped her grow up, and her father, the one that adopted her. I wanted not only to kill her for her betrayal, but at the same time, wanted to ask her why she betrayed us. I was so depressed and angry with her that I turned to Corvus, the only person I could rely on at the time, for comfort. And that comfort turned to something else. Something intimate." Steve raised an eyebrow at that, both in surprise and shock.
"You and your own brother?" Asked Steve, a bit weirded out at that declaration. To her credit, Proxima turned her head. Though she did her hardest, Steve could see the faintest of blushes on her gray cheeks, if the blue on her cheeks was an indication of a blush.
"I was hurt deeply by my sister's betrayal." Said Proxima after a minute. "Corvus simply helped in providing comfort. I must admit, despite his penchant for destruction, he does have a knack for providing advice to his allies. He also has a knack for fighting in a bed." Proxima said the last sentence in a whisper.
"Are you two still…." Started Steve, but Proxima shook her head.
"No, we parted on good terms. A little awkward, but we were still effective on the battlefield." Said Proxima, eager to move on. "Moving on, I eventually tracked Gamora and her motley crew. They were called the Guardians of the Galaxy, if you believe it. They were celebrating their victory over some god on some world on the fringes of the Nova Empire. When I heard, I took a stealth ship and plotted a course to that planet. I was going to confront my sister for her betrayal once and for all." Steve could see Proxima tightened her hands on her spear and worried that she did something that she regretted.
"I don't know what I was planning to do. Kill her. Beat her to submission and take her to Thanos. Or to ask for an explanation for her actions. I was just so full of rage and disappointment that when I finally confronted her, with her crew of idiots, I was just so exhausted. While they wanted to take me in to the Nova Empire, Gamora stopped them. She talked and I listened. She told me why she betrayed Thanos and that I should do the same. Before I could act in fury for her suggestion, she begged me to at least see the worlds that Thanos had saved. She claimed that, by seeing those worlds, I could see the truth of Thanos's plan. And if that didn't convince me, then nothing she said would have changed my mind. *Sighs* My mind was so overloaded in emotions that when I looked at Gamora's face, those tears on her eyes while she begged me to not fight, I couldn't help myself. I just ran, took my ship and ran." Proxima then placed a hand on her forehead, the memories taking a toll of her. Steve got up and reached out for her, but Proxima placed her other hand up, stopping Steve. After a few minutes, she looked at him and motioned for him to sit next to her on her right side. Once he did, she continued.
"I stayed on my ship for a week, ignoring calls from Thanos and Ebony, ordering my return. I needed to be by myself for a while, along with my thoughts. Eventually, I decided to do what Gamora said and went to her home world. Thanos claimed it was paradise, but it wasn't it truly wasn't."
A few months ago
Zen-Whoberi
When they had cleansed this world under two decades ago, Thanos claimed it would be a paradise. That no one would have to be oppressed by cruelty and hunger. That the remaining people would be in harmony with each other. That wasn't what Proxima Midnight saw while she walked the streets of a city in Zen-Whoberi, the same one that she found Gamora if she recalled correctly.
Even in the developed centers of the city, Proxima found beggars and thieves around her. Several tried to steal from her, but met their end either from her spear or her hidden blades.
Hiding with a cloak that covered her body, Proxima saw thieves setting fire to houses or killing others for coin or food. Looking at her left, she saw a young boy running from several city guards. In his hands was some kind of native fruit.
Once the guards caught him, they began to beat on him. Feeling fury, Proxima stepped in and killed the guards with ease, using her spear.
"Get out of here, child." Said Proxima as she quickly left, leaving the boy alone, stunned by what she did. Once she was out of sight, Proxima slumped on a wall, thinking of what she witnessed. She had been to several other cities. And most were like this. The weak being bullied by the strong. People starving on the streets. It was nothing like what Thanos claimed it would be.
Looking at her hands, Proxima felt indignation that slowly turned to rage at what she did. What she thought she did right. With growing fury, Proxima let out a yell that quickly caught the attention of several thugs. Even as they came over to her, thinking she was just another beggar, she thought of Thanos and how he lied to her.
Present
"And that's when you choose to betray Thanos." Said Steve, looking at Proxima as she looked at her spear.
"Yes." Said Proxima. "After Zen-Whoberi, I traveled to other planets that Thanos went to. They were all the same. We changed nothing. If anything, we made things worse. I suspect that, among those we slain in our crusades, we killed some of the species' greatest warriors, scholars, inventors, and just plan decent people. We set the species' back so much that some species have even driven themselves to the stone age, fighting over who gets what resources." Proxima then looked threw her spear away in rage. "All I fought for. All I've killed… it was all for naught. All I did was help a madman commit genocide to countless people, all for the sake of saving." She then clenched her hands into fists so hard that she was drawing blood. "Do you know what its like, Steve? To know that everything you fought for, everything you were taught to believe was right and wrong, was all based on lies. That, instead of being a hero, you've been nothing more than a murderer that only killed innocent people. And that the only thing that you have left is murdering the one that strung you up and used you all your life since you met him."
Steve just stayed silent was Proxima rage, knowing that she needed it. After a few minutes of watching her draw her own blood, creating stains on her suit from her spilled blood, Steve carefully unfolded her hands. Proxima didn't stop him as he forced her hands to open, allowing them both to see the damage.
"You're right, I don't know what its like." Said Steve as he ripped a portion of his shirt to bandage both of her hands, tightening the makeshift bandages so they won't spill more blood. "I've been used, yes, but never to the extent as you. I don't what's in your future Proxima. Or if you'll ever be forgiven for your crimes, but I do know that…you're willing to try and correct your mistakes. And that's enough for me. Even if I'm the only one that sees that, I assure you I'll try my best to help you bring Thanos to justice. I promise." Proxima looked at Steve, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Don't ruin yourself for me, Steve." Said Proxima after a minute of looking at him. "I don't want you sacrifice anything for me, including your life."
"I can't make that promise." Said Steve, looking her in the eyes. "Can you if you were in my position?" Proxima just stayed silent, looking Steve's blue eyes, before nodding. Steve sighed at that before helping Proxima up.
"I'll still help you, Proxima." Said Steve as he looked at Proxima in the eyes. "Thanos is someone that needs to be taken down. If he collects the infinity stones, countless people will die. But, from now on, you'll be straight and honest with me. No more secrets. Please." Proxima nodded at that.
"Very well." Said Proxima as she went over to grab her spear. "I think we both need a shower and rest after this. I'll lead you to the showers and your room. Follow me." With that, Proxima led Steve to where they needed to go.
Later
Proxima Midnight's room
"Idiot human." Thought Proxima as she sat on her bed, looking at her bandaged hands, still covered by bits of Steve's shirt. She would have replaced them, but a part of her was compelled to let them remain, at least until tomorrow. "Why would be risk his own life for me? Someone who killed countless people." To Proxima it was outlandish for Steve to sacrifice himself for her. The amount of blood on her hands was staggering enough that Proxima was sure that no amount of atonement would make up for what she did while she served Thanos. If he sacrificed himself for her, she would curse and scream at him for doing so, calling him a fool and idiot. And yet, a part of her respected and admired his selfness.
Sighing, she went over to a dresser to remove her combat suit, replacing it with a simple nightshirt and shorts. Laying on her bed, she thought of Steve and what they'll be doing next, now that HYDRA is essentially doomed to die, before succumbing to the need to sleep.