Only on rare occasions are the children of Thanos allowed a day off from their training. Most days they followed a very strict schedule. They attended morning classes on history, and language. In the afternoon, they had weapons training, exercise, and sparring matches. (Those were always Nebula's least favorite.) Children with special abilities had additional classes in the evening, while everyone else had more weapons training. By the end of the day, Nebula was so exhausted she didn't complain when she was confined to her cabin for the night.

Today this was not the case. The Black Order was attending some kind of war meeting with their father. There was no one to teach them so there would be no class. Nebula planned to spend the whole day in the library, doing as little as possible.

However, on the way there, she gets distracted by a group of her siblings standing around an open door. Most of them are in Heather's age bracket. Servants pushed past them carrying boxes and furniture. They were cleaning out the belongings of the cabin's previous owner. "Who died?" Nebula wonders aloud.

Cauda replied, "One of the scientist guys bit the bullet this morning. They couldn't meet their deadline." That meant their cabin was up for grabs.

"Well, I'm the oldest one here!" Peter, as per usual, was at the center of the crowd. "I get first dibs on any new cabins!" The other kids grumbled their complaints.

Nebula folded her arms across her chest and shouted to be heard over the noise. "What if I want the cabin?" The kids turned to look at Nebula.

Peter glared back at her. "Don't you have something better to do, like fighting waterfalls or meditating with bears?" He realized his mistake the moment the words left his mouth. "Wait uh I mean–"

Photon giggled, "Why would she fight a waterfall?"

Cauda was equal parts delighted and confused, "What's a bear?"

Peter groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "whatever! Nevermind!" He pointed a finger at Nebula. "This doesn't concern you."

"No, I think it does," Nebula decided. The crowd of children jump to get out of her way as she moves to stand between Peter and the open door. "I'm the oldest one here, so by your logic, this cabin belongs to me."

Peter narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't actually want the cabin. You just don't want me to have it."

He was right, of course, but Nebula would rather die than admit that. "Not everything is about you, Peter."

He couldn't say Nebula was being unfair without sounding like a hypocrite. He raised his chin slightly, "Nebula!" He was yelling even though they were standing right next to each other. "I challenge you to a game of Hide an' Seek!"

There was a chorus of Ohs from their siblings. They're watching Nebula with anticipation. Always with the theatrics, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. "I'm listening."

"The winner gets to keep the new cabin." Peter had captured his sibling's attention as he explained, "It's you against everyone else. If you can find everyone before time runs out you win, but if you can't find someone they win. The war rooms and the med bay are off limits." Photon raised her hand and hopped up and down. "Yeah, Pho?"

"How do we get out? Does she have to tag us?"

Nebula chuckled darkly, "Tagging is more fun."

"That's scary!" Heather shivered and linked arms with her older brother, Nexus.

"What about weapons?" Cauda piped up.

Peter shrugged and looked at Nebula. "Combat weapons are fine, but no mind control." She said sternly while making direct eye contact with Heather.

"I don't control people's minds! That's stupid," Heather grumbled bitterly.

Nebula checked the time on her transmitter. "The game will last until seventeen hundred hours. I'll give you a head start."

Peter folded his arms across his chest, "You have to close your eyes."

She sighs and leans back against the wall, "That won't help you."

"Just keep 'em closed," Peter insisted. Nebula closed her eyes. The kids erupted into chatter and giggling as they scattered. Six went left eleven went right. Cauda giggled and Peter shushed him, they went left. Edbe and Lexifier ran ahead of everyone else, they went right. The adrenaline rush burns like fire. Nebula's fingers twitched. Heather was still clinging to Nexus as they walked to the left. Nebula heard security doors open and footsteps moving downstairs. The hallway fell silent. She drew in a slow breath and opened her eyes. Here we go.

~~•˖✧• •✧˖•~~

Nebula was surveying one of the many lounges on Sanctuary II from the rafters. Lexifer was watching the door from behind a cabinet. Cauda was hunkered down by a potted plant, ready to make a break for it. She couldn't see Edbe. She dropped down behind Lexifer and blew on his ear. Lexifer tried to scream but Nebula clamps her hand over his mouth. Nebula dragged Lexifer back into the darkness. She hushed him, "You lose." He had the good sense to keep silent.

Nebula drew her throwing knives and turned off the light switch with the hilt. There was a soft gasp from under the coffee table. Ah, sweet little Edbe. She threw a blade across the room. It pinned Cauda's sleeve to the wall. He squirmed out of his sweater and bolted. Nebula threw the coffee table at the door. Cauda was faster. He slipped into the hallway as the wooden table smashed into the doorframe. Edbe shrieks in surprise and a pulse of electricity shoots out at Nebula. She cartwheels over Edbe, avoiding the electricity. She poked her nose. "You're out Edbe" She retrieved her knife from the wall and jumped over the remains of the coffee table. Edbe sat up and groaned loudly.

Cauda knocked everything over as he ran. She jumped over an overturned lamp. Her hand slapped against the wall as she rounded the corner. Cauda was leading her somewhere. The question was did she end this quickly or see where it goes. Nebula picked up the pace. They rounded another corner, the stairwell was dead ahead. Nebula was closing the distance between them. She dodged a vase that was thrown at her head. Nebula threw her knife across the hallway, shattering the motion sensors for the stairwell door. Cauda slammed his shoulder into the door.

Nebula stalked towards him. Cauda put his back to the wall. His hand dipped into his jacket pocket. Nebula tensed. In one swift motion, Cauda pulls the pin from his homemade explosive and throws it. The explosive goes off in the air. The blast knocks Nebula off her feet. She rolls down the hallway, scraping her palms and knees. Her ears are ringing. When she sits up, the door to the stairwell is open and Cauda is gone.

Nebula strolls up to the doorway. Without the motion sensor, the doors needed to be opened manually. Cauda wasn't strong enough to do that on his own. She stares into the darkness beyond the doorway. This was the trap they had set for her. She walks forward. Her footsteps echoing back at her as she takes in her surroundings. Something like a spider's web is woven across the third and fourth steps leading up. A tripwire, or something far sharper.

The stairwell was U-shaped, with a wide gap between the ascending and descending staircases. Each of the staircases is connected by a platform. Nebula climbed over the railing so she was standing on the outside of the platform. She spun around so she was facing the platform on the next floor. She let go of the railing and jumped across the gap between the staircases. She grabs the opposite railing and pulls herself up to the next floor. Nebula jumped across the gap again, climbing up the stairs quickly. "By the moons," Cauda muttered. His voice echoed through the stairwell. He scrambled up the stairs, trying to stay ahead of her.

Nebula caught up with him easily. She jumped to the next flight of stairs and leaned over the railing. "Boo!" Cauda leveled his gun at her head. Nebula snatched it out of his hands and dropped it over the railing. She heard it clatter to the ground.

"Come on!" Cauda complained loudly. He sprinted towards the nearest exit. Nebula rested her elbow on the railing and her chin on her palm. She lackadaisically threw the knife into the motion sensor. It shattered and short-circuited.

She watched as Cauda made a futile attempt to open the door, "You've lost Cauda." Somebody whistled, the echo made it hard to pinpoint where it was coming from. She leaned back and looked up the winding staircase, she didn't see anyone. When she looked back at the door, Cauda was gone again. Nebula furrowed her brow, she would have heard him run. Before she can figure out what that means an obnoxious and familiar voice calls out.

"Hey, Frosta! Up here!" Peter taunted her. "Come and get me, Ice Queen!" He was leaning over the railing three floors above her. Nebula stood on the railing and jumped up two floors. Their younger sister, Photon raced up the steps just ahead of her. She was carrying Cauda.

Nebula grabbed the edge of the staircase and pulled herself up. "Woah! Sweet trick," Peter grinned and climbed on top of the railing. Nebula lunged at him. He jumped straight up grabbing onto the staircase directly above him. He narrowly escaped her. It's infuriating.

They jumped back and forth across the stairwell, Peter even dropped down a flight of stairs when it suited him. He always managed to stay just out of Nebula's reach. She grits her teeth as he jeers, "Can't catch me! Can't catch me! And here I thought you were the best fighter in our bracket!"

"I am!" Nebula yanks out her knife and lunges for him. Peter jumps out of the way once again. Nebula crashes into the railing.

She snarls when she hears him giggle. "You missed! Some assassin you are."

She catches movement out of the corner of her eye and leaps without thinking. She dives over the railing. Her hand wraps around the throat of a much smaller child in her blind rage. She slams them back against the wall. They struggle. "Neb, stop! You're going too far again!" She turns to glare at Peter. He's standing outside the railing. Inches away. If she reached out she could finally–Nebula takes a step forward and a tripwire snaps.

"Shit."

Photon throws them all forward into the gap between the staircases with her telekinesis. The explosion goes off. Pain, blinding white light. Then the sensation of falling. The three of them are hurtling towards the ground. She let go of Cauda in the confusion. Peter was falling next to her. She could only grab onto one of her brothers. The ground rushes to meet them. There is no time.

She grabs onto Cauda. In the seconds before they hit the floor, she shields her baby brother from the worst of the impact. They land hard. There's a distinct pop as Nebula's shoulder smashed into the floor. They rolled across the room and slammed into the wall. The back of her head is aching, and spots clouded her vision, but Cauda was okay.

Peter fell a couple of stories and managed to catch himself on the railing because of course, he did. His clothes are smoldering. "Sucker–Ah!" Peter ducked as Nebula threw her last knife at his head. It left a scratch just above his eyebrow. Peter climbed over the railing to safety. Photon and Peter both stick their tongues out at Nebula. She pushes Cauda aside and stands up with a newfound rage.

She snatched Cauda's gun off the ground and pointed it at Peter. "Run, run, run!" He yelled when fire barked from the end of the barrel. Nebula fired the gun until the clip was empty, before throwing it aside in frustration. "Where are they going?!"

"Dunno," Cauda rubbed at his throat. He adds bitterly, "But even if I did I wouldn't tell you."

She glares at Cauda. There's no reason to believe that he's lying. She needed a new plan, she didn't care who won the game, she only wanted Peter to lose. If she let him win, she would have to hear about it for the rest of their lives. "Little brothers are insufferable." She grumbles to herself.

"Big sisters are worser-er!" Cauda's words fall on deaf ears.

Nebula left him alone in the stairwell. She was still lost in thought. It would waste too much time trying to track Peter down again. She needed to find Heather.

Their baby sister was far slower and weaker than Nebula. This would limit her options. She would avoid hiding anywhere that would require a direct confrontation with Nebula. Heather would undoubtedly be relying on stealth. So, a big room with multiple exits and lots of hiding places was best. Nebula knew that Heather originally went to the left and then downstairs. Assuming she took the most direct path to her hiding spot, that left only one room.

~~•˖✧• •✧˖•~~

Heather swiped her card through the lock and walked into the hangar bay. There are rows of ships of varying sizes stretching on for as far as the eye could see. A few people are working on computers connected to the ships. "Hi, Morgan!" Heather called out to the exhausted programmer chewing on the end of his pen.

"Oh good morning Heather." Morgan glanced away from the computer screen and tried to rub the bags from his eyes.

"It's almost dinner time," Heather informed him.

"So it is," Morgan squinted at his watch.

Heather skipped over to his desk and grabbed the glass jar full of candy. She stuffed a handful into her coat pocket and popped another piece into her mouth. It was sweet and crunchy. Although in her opinion, all the best candy was imported from Peter's homeworld. She tossed the wrapper to the floor. "I'm hiding from Nebula, don't tell her I'm here!"

Morgan returned to his coding, "Alright don't break anything."

"Okay!" Heather chirped. She waved at Dyad and Triptych as she walked past their desks.

There was an obsolete destroyer in the back corner of the hangar. It was slowly being stripped down for parts, most of the outer hull and weapons had already been repurposed. Nothing was ever thrown away here. This destroyer was one of the first to use plant life as a source of oxygen instead of air canisters. Heather had been taking care of the little garden at the heart of the ship. It had overgrown its box, sprawling across the bridge and cockpit. She climbed up to the sapling at the center of the garden.

There is an echo of a rumble coming from somewhere within the ship. The UV lights flickered and swayed overhead. Heather knew an explosion when she heard one, the others must be having fun. She sat down on a patch of moss and closed her eyes. She focused on her breathing until everything else fell away. She reaches out and notices something odd. There are three beings in the hangar but four minds. She couldn't pinpoint where the fourth person was. Heather assumed one of her other siblings had the same idea and was hiding here. Without thinking, she latched onto the fourth mysterious consciousness.

It was unlike anything Heather had felt before. She was looking at the flight deck and every room, every corridor on an expansive dreadnought. She knew how to control every machine inside the ship. It was as simple as breathing. Before Heather could get used to the sensation, it pushed back hard. It was like psychic whiplash, her temples ached. 'It's rude to invade someone's mind without asking first.' A voice Heather had never heard before resounded through her mind.

She lost her concentration. The scientists tapping away at the keyboard and the hum of the air filter were suddenly much louder. The pain was unbearable. She covered her ears and breathed deeply. Once she had calmed down, Heather reached out again. She focuses her attention on the fourth consciousness without latching onto it. She thought, 'Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. My name is Heather, what's yours?'

There was a long pause before they replied. Most of the staff went by an alias instead of using their given name. It was safer for their families that way. 'I think I was once called Vorin, but you can call me Guivre.'

The name sounded familiar but Heather couldn't remember where she heard it. 'Are you a new hire? I thought I knew everyone on staff.'

Guivre made an amused sound. 'You could say that, yes.' Heather relaxed a little. Guivre continued, 'Are you a part of the staff as well?'

That made Heather laugh, 'I'm one of Thanos' children, his youngest daughter.'

'Thanos' children… as in the dogs of war? I thought that was a conspiracy theory.' Guivre echoed with both terror and awe. 'He actually goes around kidnapping children to play house with?'

'I'm very real I promise,' Heather deadpanned. 'Now that we know each other, can you show me where you are?' Guivre dropped her psychic ward. They're inside the dreadnought Morgan was working on. 'Oh, you're working with Morgan on the Ai. I know the deadline is coming up soon, it's nice of you to help out.'

'The Ai.' Guivre made a sound that could have meant anything without knowing what their body language was. 'Heather…. what happens if we don't meet this deadline?' A few memories of the more gruesome deaths pass through Heather's mind. 'By the stars, that's…' Guivre trailed off.

Heather didn't mean for Guivre to see that. 'I'm sorry.'

'No, it's better that I know about it now,' Guivre replied softly.

Heather felt Nebula's presence the moment she stepped into the hangar. Her mind was a tangled mess of half-formed concepts. It took Heather a few minutes to make sense of what Nebula was thinking. Guivre knew Heather was going to leave before Heather did. It was a little annoying. 'Before you go, would you tell Morgan to check the nitrogen levels in the cooling system?'

'Sure,' Heather agreed. She exhaled slowly, pulling herself back in before opening her eyes. Returning got a little easier every time, but it still left her with a migraine. Nebula was standing in front of the ship, arms folded across her chest. Heather slid down the mossy ramp and scurried up to Nebula. "How did you find me so quickly?" Nebula held up a candy wrapper between two fingers and raised one eyebrow. "Candy betrayed me!" Heather threw the last of the candy on the ground.

"I wanted to ask you–"

"You want me to help you locate Peter, and you'll give me the cabin in return. I'll do it." Heather didn't wait for Nebula to respond, she started walking towards the exit.

Nebula blinked in surprise and then followed Heather. "You knew all that but didn't know how I found you."

"You weren't thinking about the candy wrappers." Heather ran over to Morgan's desk and called out, "Hey, hey Morgan!" He looked down at Heather curiously. "Guivre wanted me to tell you to check the nitrogen levels or something."

Morgan opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "You spoke... to Guivre?" Dyad flicked her ears curiously.

"Yeah, telepathically. Your assistant is nice," she said mostly to be polite. She grabbed more candy out of the jar.

"Heather let's go!" Nebula called from the exit.

"Okay!" Heather shouted back. She waved goodbye to Morgan and ran after Nebula.

"Morgan," Dyad spoke with forced ease. "She's not lying."

Morgan turns to look at the dreadnought. "B-but that's not possible."

~~•˖✧• •✧˖•~~

The library was O-shaped and spanned four floors. Hanging in the center of the library was the skeleton of an enormous deep sea creature. It was an enormous maze of bookshelves and strange science exhibits. There are books from every empire in the galaxy. The bookshelves felt so tall they might scrape the ceiling. Nebula peered down the seemingly endless corridor, "Are you certain that Peter and Photon are here?"

Heather shushed her, "We whisper in the library, Neby." She pulled two books out of the nearest shelf and peered through the gap. "They're right here." They were sitting at a table near an exhibit of dead insects with delicate, multi-colored wings.

Photon and Peter both fought long range. The library gave them a number of projectiles to crush Nebula, and places to hide. She needed to drive them into a wide open space. "Heather, could you move these bookshelves quickly?"

Heather shrugged, "I guess." Nebula quietly explained her plan.

Photon was watching the corridors vigilantly, while Peter looked like he had grown bored of that and was scribbling on a notebook. They both turn to look at the bookshelf behind them as it slowly starts to groan. The scramble away from the table. The bookshelf toppled over. An enormous cloud of dust choked the air. Peter coughed and backed into the corridor without looking away from the bookshelf. "I know it's you, Neb! You don't scare me."

Nebula stepped out from behind the nearest bookshelf, blocking one route of escape. She was carrying Heather on her back. "Peter we don't yell in the library."

"Shit," Peter jumped back.

"Heather," the fin on Photon's head stood upright as she narrowed her eyes.

"Hi there," Heather waved and smiled.

"Time to run," Peter announced, shoving Photon back. Nebula pushed them towards the only remaining exit. They took off running. The bookshelves move rapidly. They block any possible route of escape. They were approaching the center of the library. Some of the books fall off the shelves as the bookshelves are yanked around. Peter managed to avoid them but Photon is less agile.

After the third book hits her in the head, she stopped suddenly and bared her teeth. Her fin pulsed a violent red, "Enough!" She makes a sweeping motion with her hand. A whirlwind of books and dust is thrown directly at Nebula.

"Ah! I wasn't doing it on purpose!" Heather squealed. Nebula throws her prosthetic arm up to shield her face and barrels forward. The dust obscures her vision. Something metal ahead of her groans. The books feel as heavy as rocks. She grits her teeth.

They burst out of the dust cloud in time to see Peter standing on the head of the sea creature. "You've lost Nebula!" He was grinning from ear to ear. The last wire holding the creature in place snapped. Photon threw her arms forward.

The head of the creature swung towards Nebula. "Not yet." She ran towards its open maw.

"Nope." Heather let go of Nebula and fell.

Nebula dived past the rows of pointed teeth and into the rib cage. She grabbed onto one of the ribs as her feet dangled above the ground. Peter stared down at her from his perch on the creature's spine. "Stop chasing me! That was insane!"

Nebula pulled herself up onto the creature's rib. "I'll stop chasing you when you stop running!"

Peter laughed at her. The creature suddenly swerved towards the ceiling. Peter lost his balance. Photon yelled from below, "Give it back! They'll fall, you moron!"

"But if the skeleton goes that way it'll destroy the books!" Heather protested. She had taken control of the creature from Photon. The creature swims up through the air in a giant arc. Nebula lost her balance as well. She twists in the air so she can see the slow slope of the creature's spine as it moves.

Peter fell between the creature's ribs. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for pain. She grabbed onto his hand and pulled him into a hug. "You lose."

He opened one eye, "I never really wanted to win, anyway."

"Liar."

They slammed into the ground floor. The wind is knocked out of her. She hit her shoulder in the same spot, it was definitely broken now. She tried to open her eyes but the whole room was spinning and she's forced to keep them closed. She takes staggered uneasy breaths. Her whole body aches. She might as well have spent the last few hours training. The door suddenly burst open and Photon and Heather ran over to them. "Are you guys okay?!" Photon asked with concern.

"Just…. Fine…." Nebula wheezed.

Peter groaned in response. Heather translated, "He thinks his leg is broken, his spine feels bruised and he might have a concussion." She lowers her voice to a whisper, "Sorry."

Nebula listens to him breathe for a few minutes before trying to open her eyes again. The skeleton moved with unnatural grace as it's enormous body glided through the air above them. The wires reattached themselves to the creature. Photon's fin glowed as she returned the creature to its proper place. "You… only won… cause you cheated." Peter finally gained enough breath to speak.

"I didn't cheat."

He pointed up at Heather, "We agreed… no mind control."

"It's not mind control." Nebula and Heather chide him in unison.

"Semantics!" Peter threw his hands up in an exasperated gesture. "I want a rematch."

Nebula sighed, "Ronan is coming for a visit at the end of the month." Heather stiffened when Nebula mentioned his name. The color drained from her face. "Dad will be hosting another tournament, you can lose to me then."

Peter groaned, "Boo! That's two weeks away!"

Nebula propped herself up on her elbows and regretted it almost immediately when her head began to spin. Photon offered her a hand up. Nebula took it. She slowly rose to her feet, and clapped Photon on the shoulder, "You just lost."

"Wait, that's not fair! That didn't count!" Photon puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

Peter slowly sat up and laughed at her, "That's whatcha get for being nice!"

"Congrats Heather, you get to move out of the nursery," Nebula deadpanned.

"Huh? Really?"

"Yeah, really," Peter smiled slyly, "No more early bedtimes either. Too bad for you, Pho." Her fin lay flat against her head as she sulked.

Heather's blank expression gave way to a bright smile. She tackles Nebula in a hug. "Thank you."