Strange wasted no time bringing them to the nearest hospital. Apparently he was an actual doctor on Terra. Or that's something she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness again.
She could sense the concern her new companion felt for her with every hitched breath she took. She knew that she knew him, but she had no idea how. He seemed very worried about her, and it confused her. She wanted to ask why he was fussing over her this way, but she didn't even have the energy to keep her eyes open.
"Stay with us, Gamora." She heard someone else murmur. She struggled to turn her head to see the source, a man who she now knew as Strange. He was in normal Terran clothes. A matching blue top and bottoms that looked crisp and clean, and he had a tight cap and mask covering his head and face. It reminded her of her father's doctors.
Her eyes widened and she tried to move her arms, beginning to panic, "No-" she started, spitting out some blood, "-no mods."
Her companion came back into view, gently taking her hair back and helping her sit up a little to spit up more blood.
He rubbed her back as she heaved and she began to feel the room spinning.
"Gamora." He held her face in his hands, trying to keep her eyes open. "No one is going to hurt you like that here. But we have to help you, alright?"
His words were desperate, but they made her feel grounded somehow.
He looked up at Strange, urgency etching it's way across his features. "He's gonna fix you right up Gamora, okay?" He said without looking away from Strange. It seemed like he was convincing everyone else in the room that she was going to be alright but her.
Dr. Strange tilted his head at him, his expression hidden behind the surgical mask. "What the Hell happened, Loki?"
He glanced back down to her, giving her hand a soft squeeze before releasing her. He approached Strange, putting a hand on his shoulder and leading him to a corner of the room where it would be hard for her to hear. Loki wasn't sure what she remembered about the last few days' events, and he didn't want to send her into a panic and risk her injuring herself further.
"After," he glanced back at her before continuing, "-after Thanos won, she faded away too. Like the rest of you. I found her in this place. Yellow sky like the one outside," he pointed out the window, referencing to the yellow and rust colored sky that had overtaken the city as well, "She was a child, talking to Thanos. He disappeared and she remained a child. His children ambushed us, and we ran. We ended up here, and she was injured. She needed help, and I searched her memories."
Strange ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep, irritated breath, "Right, okay. And then you threw her in a shredder? Because that's what it looks like," he hissed.
Loki shook his head, "No, but I saw Gamora, the one you met back on Titan, in her reflection. She told me the only way to help her was to get her to remember. The more I looked in her mind, the more she seemed to know. We needed to get out of there, and I found this memory," he took a deep breath, shuddering at his recollection of Thanos torturing her, "I found this memory before she got her modifications, where she tried to escape and the Kree ripped her apart," he pointed behind him. He sighed, "Me looking into those memories seemed to age her to the moment I was pulled from them."
Dr. Strange seemed overwhelmed by the story, but nodded after a moment, letting out a deep breath before looking over Loki's shoulder at her on the stretcher. "Okay, I can patch up some of the cuts, but without those modifications she's probably not gonna make it, and I'm not sure what happens if we die in the stone, but I doubt it's good." He looked back at Loki, feeling more like his old self, before his car accident, before he learned all he knew now.
Loki looked back at her, "I can try and get back into her memories, find a memory as close to the present as possible." His brow was furrowed, he looked genuinely worried, "But if that doesn't work, you have to help her, alright?"
Strange was taken aback, "I'll do what I can." He wasn't aware of the vastness of the universe when Loki had invaded New York years ago, but he'd heard plenty of stories about the Asgardian god that murdered hundreds and brought in an army to take over the Earth. From those stories, Strange never once took Loki as someone who had the capacity to care about anything other than himself. He honestly still wasn't sure if this was another trick or not, but he didn't want anything to happen to the girl if he was wrong about Loki. He was a doctor after all, he couldn't chance it.
Loki strode back over to her, taking her hand once more.
She was breathing heavily, sweat was forming all over her hairline, and she was trembling more than she had been. Much more. She flinched when he took her hand, afraid it was the Kree, Maw, or her father again.
He raised his other hand in defense, "I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to frighten you."
She seemed to relax a little bit, but her breath was still shaky and pained.
"Is he-" she coughed a little, blood forming around the corners of her mouth, "-he going to fix me?"
Loki nodded quickly, "Yes, he is," he furrowed his brow, gently wiping one of the stray tears rolling down her cheek away with his thumb, "But I need you to let me do something first."
She gave him a questioning look, but said nothing. Whether she wanted him to continue or if she was just in so much pain that she couldn't speak anymore, even Gamora herself wasn't sure.
"Before, you let me look into your mind, to help you remember things that could save our lives," he started, growing uneasy with the panicked look on her face developing once more, "I need to do that again. It might be able to heal you."
She shook her head frantically, "No, I don't want to remember," she cried as tears welled in her eyes.
"No, Gamora, there are times in your life far better than the one we're in now. You'll be healed, safe." He pressed, stroking matted hair gently.
"I'll have to see-" she was trembling again, "-see him again."
Loki nodded, "But I'll make it quick, alright? I promise."
"How can I trust you?" She shivered as her eyes narrowed and she tried to move her head away from his touch.
He pulled his hand back, giving a worried glance to his companion across the room, Strange. "Because I know your father too. And I know what he's like, and I'm gonna do everything I can to keep you safe, alright?"
His words were desperate, but they seemed to convince her a bit. After a moment of consideration, she nodded slowly.
He sighed deeply then, feeling uneasy about the impending invasion of her mind. He had to remind himself again that this was for her own good; it would be the only thing to save her life. The intensity of their environment had taken it's toll on her mind and body, and she herself had intercepted him perviously, making sure he understood that he needed to help this younger version of herself back to the present hells cape they were living.
But aside from all that, they hardly knew each other. Well didn't actually know each other at all. He shook his head quickly, there was no time to question himself. Any damage that this would cause, she could gladly report to him once she was safe again.
He looked up once more, across the room to Strange, who was watching him intently. He seemed as if he was as unsure about this whole thing as Loki himself was too. He placed his hand gently on her cheek, represssing the urge to pull back when she flinched at the contact. He needed to do this, and he needed to do it now. He avoided any open cuts or tender bruises on her cheek before resting his hand and placing his thumb on her forehead, closing his eyes when he saw the effects of his power causing her's to roll back, reaching memories Thanos' power had caused her to forget.
She was healthier now, but fresh stitches were visible in few spots of her body. The silver scars were seeming to settle within her skin. It was soon after the operation to implant her modifications. Her expression was hard, her eyes dark and merciless as she sparred against who he now knew to be her sister. They were much younger than they were when he saw them recently; her sister even had her original parts. Her arm wasn't yet detached, minimal modifications lined her body. Loki wondered if Gamora contributed to the need for a new arm, new eye, and the rest of it.
He flinched for the sister as he watched Gamora shoved her foot into her chest, knocking her harshly onto her back. The sister coughed loudly as if all the wind was knocked from her body, Her eyes widened as Gamora plunged a dagger down towards her, rolling out of the way quickly. She got to her knees before Gamora gripped her shoulder and shoved her back to the ground. The sister put her hands up over her face as Gamora knelt down, her hand gripping her sister's throat without a glimmer of familiarity in her eyes. The sister began to choke as she gripped Gamora's wrist, trying to weaken the steely grip to her throat.
Loki felt his hand instinctively go to his throat, remembering his gruesome death once more. Thanos had taught her well, he'd give them that.
Gamora raised a dagger, letting the blade rest on her sister's check gently before smirking, pulling it back quickly in preparation for a quick and seemingly easy kill.
"I yield!" The sister screeched, seconds before the blade would've come in contact with her face.
Gamora's smirk molded into a triumphant, eerily unfeeling smile. She looked up above Loki's head across the large gym, proudly looking up at the window. He turned then as well, seeing Thanos smiling at her, clapping softly in her direction, clearly impressed with her abilities.
"Bravo daughter." He called as he emerged onto the gym's floor, seconds later.
The sister rolled her eyes as she sat up, rubbing her shoulder with pain in her eyes.
Thanos chuckled at the sister's obvious need for some kind of medical attention, gripping her hurt shoulder in his massive hand, only laughing louder when the sister cried out.
Gamora turned her head towards the scene then, formerly occupying herself with sharpening her daggers. Her eyes looked conflicted, but she willed away the potential care for her sister that seemed to be seeping into her mind. "Next time, bring me someone to fight that's more of my equal."
Thanos released the sister then, Gamora's arrogance removing his attention from his now even more injured daughter. He closed the distance quickly, drawing his hand back and striking Gamora harshly across the face. Gamora fell back and seemed to crumple into the ground like a paper doll, Loki flinched as if he felt the force of the Mad Titan's strike against himself.
"Your arrogance is misplaced daughter." Thanos gripped her arm and yanked her to her feet before she could recover from his slap. "You may be strong, but past experiences have proven you are no where near the best."
Gamora looked more frightened than discouraged, her body trembling slightly as she breathed heavily, staring meekly up at her father. "But don't you want me to be the best?" She countered in a small, uncertain voice.
He knelt down to meet her eyes, "Of course I do, Little One." He used a single finger to wipe a tear from her cheek, whether it was fear or the sharp string of his strike that caused her to cry softly, Loki wasn't sure. Thanos eyed the tear on his finger for several long, intense moments before drawing his hand back once more, punching his Little One in the chest. She crumbled once more, coughing like her sister had just done. "I didn't teach you this. To be weak! You embarrass me, daughter." He barked as he glanced back at the sister, "You both do," he spat. He motioned for some of his higher ranking children to grab the sister and remove her.
"Maw, make Nebula the Little One's equal." He called as he winked at his favorite son. Maw used his power to drag Nebula from the arena.
Gamora watched from the floor where Thanos had left her as they dragged her sister out while she begged for help. Gamora took several deep breaths and clutched her chest as the gym doors shut, leaving her alone. She panted heavily, and as Loki took steps towards her, the scene dematerialized in front of him.
—
He stumbled forward before he found himself in what seemed to be a common room. There was a small kitchen and a table with five chairs. To his right, there was a weapons crate that was covered with cassettes, a couple books, a coffee cup, and some high tech gun with wires sticking out, as if the gadget was unfinished.
A woodland creature in a utility vest stumbled in with an incredibly large man with red tattoos all over his body. They were laughing loudly, but kept trying to make each other quiet down, as if afraid to disturb the peace of the empty room.
The bigger man tripped over the couch in the middle of the room, knocking some old school music player onto the floor, nearly missing it with his foot as he toppled over. Loki sidestepped him fast, but felt the entire room shake from his fall. His head turned quickly as he heard footsteps down the hall.
"Drax what the Hell?" It was the Ravager again. Only he was in sweat pants without a shirt, and he definitely looked more annoyed than how Loki had last seen him.
The small, Loki assumed rabbit, scampered over to Drax and helped him up, well pushed on his arm until he pulled himself up. "Quill relax!" The rabbit shouted, "It was just a bit of fun."
The Ravager put a finger to his lips quickly, glancing back down the hall. "Everyone's asleep," he hissed.
The rabbit rolled his eyes, "They knew we were going out! What did they expect?" He stopped himself to burp.
The sight was almost comical to Loki, but his smirk evaporated the moment he looked back towards the Ravager. Gamora was standing beside him, in some earth music-themed t-shirt with her hands on her hips, glaring at the rabbit and the bigger man on the floor.
"You two woke up Groot. We just got him to sleep, Rocket." Her voice was stern, but he saw a hint of amusement in her features.
The rabbit hopped up quickly, kicking the bigger man with his foot. "Get up, fatass," he barked before stalking down the hall past Gamora and the Ravager, "I'll handle him then! He likes me more anyways."
Gamora rolled her eyes as the rabbit passed them, but he stopped short in the hall. "Oh, if you two wanna keep this 'unspoken thing,'" the rabbit used air quotes, "a secret, maybe Mora shouldn't be wearing Quill's favorite shirt to bed, huh?" Before the Ravager or Gamora could respond, the rabbit turned around and headed further down the hall.
The Ravager opened his mouth to speak, but Gamora quickly covered it with her hand, motioning back to their larger companion on the floor.
The Ravager gripped her wrist lightly and removed her hand. "Relax, he's totally passed out." He said loudly, proving his point. "Besides, I don't really want to keep this a secret."
Gamora looked behind her, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear. "I understand that, Peter. But what will they think?"
Peter tilted his head at her, "Probably not much, honestly. We've always been a little bit closer than everyone else. They might've assumed we were a thing long before this actually started," he added with a shrug.
She raised her eyebrows before walking over to their kitchen and pushing herself up to sit on the counter. "A thing?" She asked.
He followed her, as did Loki, intrigued to see her interact with this group.
"An item, a pair." The Ravager stated as he waggled his eyebrows, but Gamora didn't look any less confused. "It's a Terran term for being together."
Gamora tilted her head, biting her lips to suppress a smile, "Oh, we're together?"
He smiled at her, raising his hands before moving to walk away, "Okay, okay. We're just friends then. Guess I can move all my stuff out of your bunk and stop making you coffee every morning-" he stumbled slightly as Gamora gripped his hand and yanked him back towards her.
"No, no." She said, placing a hand on his cheek, "I like that. Together." She smiled as the words rolled off her tongue.
"Oh yeah?" The Ravager asked with a smirk before allowing Gamora to pull him into a kiss.
Loki looked away, feeling intrusive here. As he blinked, the scene began to go dark again.
He felt a softer ground form beneath his feet, and he looked up to find himself in a bedroom.
Gamora was in front of him, looking as if she was working out. She was doing a handstand over a mat on the floor, her legs were spread into a split in the air, and she was listening intently as the Ravager rambled from the bathroom across the room.
"I just think it's weird is all," He muttered as he walked back into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, smirking once he saw her. "Girl, you make me wonder why I even leave our room," He joked with a low whistle.
Gamora chuckled at him before bringing her feet to the floor, laying on her back and pushing herself up into a bridge. "If you're that nervous, we should aim to make a stop there in the next few days," She stated, still seemingly more focused in her exercise.
He grabbed some clothing off their bed and began to get dressed.
Loki adverted his eyes, feeling uncomfortable and intrusive once more. He'd have to apologize once he was out of her mind, but he needed to find the most recent memory, so she'd be alright and still know what had happened.
"If something had happened, I'm sure they'd call us though," he said as he pulled a sweater over his head.
Gamora lowered herself to the floor before sitting up on her mat, eyeing him with concern. "Are you really worried about Xandar?" She asked.
He nodded, "We usually hear something from Dey every once in awhile. It's been weirdly long, but maybe I'm just paranoid." He wondered as he sat down on the bed, lacing up his boots.
Gamora stood up and walked over to him. She sat down on the floor in front of him, tying his other boot for him. "You've got good instincts though. We should put in a call today, and if we don't hear back, we should head there tomorrow. Groot needs something else to occupy his time anyways."
He ran a hand down her cheek, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. He looked happy, as did she.
As she pushed herself from the floor to stand, the ravager wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into their bed, flipping over fast so he rested comfortably on top of her.
She released a startled laugh as he rested his body between her legs. She raised a hand to cup his face, poking his nose with her index finger.
He chuckled at her and ran his thumb across her check, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"What?" She asked after a moment of comfortable silence.
He raised and lowered one shoulder, tracing one of the scars across her cheekbone with his finger. "I dunno," he started with a shrug.
She tilted her head at him, pushing herself up into a sitting position and narrowing her eyes at him. "What is it?" She pressed.
He backed up then, raising his hands in defeat and pushing himself off their bed. "Fine, fine."
He muttered, "I was gonna wait until after we responded to that distress call in a couple hours."
Loki flinched at his words. Distress call. This was the day.
Gamora sat up further as the ravager reached into a drawer next to their bed, pulling out a small velvet box.
"I know we've discussed this before," the ravager started as he swallowed hard, fidgeting with the box in his hand, "On Earth, we have this tradition."
She tilted her head once more, intrigued by his sudden nervousness. "Yes?" She pressed.
The ravager dropped his head, taking a deep breath before looking back up at her. Loki noticed tears were welling in his eyes. "My mom told me about it actually." He shifted his position on the floor as he grabbed her hand, lowering himself onto one knee.
Gamora squeezed his hand, tears forming in her eyes too.
"When you love a girl, she'd tell me," he continued, raising the small box back into view. "You get down on one knee, pull out this ring, and tell her there is no one else on Earth you'd rather spend the rest of your life with." His voice shuddered towards the end, but he opened the box to reveal a small golden ring with an opal in the center.
"Gamora, everyday I ask myself how I got so lucky. And my mom was right, but there's no one else in the universe I'd rather spend the rest of my life with." He took another deep breath, "Will you marry me?"
Gamora took the box in her hands, tears freely flowing now. She made a sound that was a half laugh half sob before taking the ravager's face in her hands and kissing him deeply.
"Wait, wait." He pulled back, laughing at her as his tears fell as well. "Is that a yes?"
Gamora pulled back quickly, nodding and laughing as he pushed the ring on her finger. "Definitely a yes," she said softly, resting her forehead against his.
The ravager jumped up then, lifting her up and spinning her around as he laughed.
"Holy shit that was the scariest thing I've ever had to do." He exclaimed before kissing her deeply.
A sudden knock at the door broke them from their happy bubble.
"Guys! We're closer to the distress single than I thought!" A voice that sounds like the rabbit's shouted through their metal door.
Before Peter or Gamora responded, the ship dematerialized and he felt himself in quick free fall.
He landed hard on him side in something cold. He blinked a bunch of times before he realized where he was. Vormir.
He pushed himself into a sitting position quickly and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud and sudden crack a few yards to his left.
Then he saw it.
Her crumpled body. The blood seeping into the snow and her hair around her, spreading and spreading.
He jumped up and covered the distance between them quickly. "Gamora!" He shouted, skidding to a stop at the horrific realization that the fall hadn't killed her. Not yet.
She was choking and coughing, green blood coming out of her mouth as she did so. She was flat on her fact, her limbs in every which way. She looked unnatural, twisted and broken.
Loki swallowed hard as he noticed the small golden band on her ring finger.
He looked up quickly, seeing the outline of Thanos from far above. Loki wanted to shout. He wanted to go up there and shove a dagger through his throat.
He thought the way he met his end was horrific, all he could do was watch from the shadows as Gamora choked on her own blood, the last thing she'd ever see alive was her killer.
Loki wouldn't wish that on anyone.
He felt light envelope him as he was lifted into the sky, watching helplessly as the light drained from Gamora's eyes below.
He landed harshly on Titan, jumping up quickly but still stumbling. Her mind seemed to be flooding with memories, throwing him every which way. Even with his experience in people's heads, it was very disorienting.
Spots began to form and dissipate in his vision, leaving him to see himself, from what felt like years ago now, holding onto an unconscious Gamora as her family dissolved around them.
He knew this moment, and cursed himself for what was about to happen.
The ground dissolved once more, sending him back to where he started.
He felt as if he was being launched backward, landing on his back in the middle of the medical room the wizard had brought them to.
Strange didn't even look to see if he was alright, he rushed forward to assist the now-conscious Gamora, who had shot up from her weakened position as Loki had been flung across the room.
She was the woman he had met now. She looked disoriented and on edge, but she was back. He couldn't help but smile, he had saved his companion.
She searched Strange's eyes as he asked her basic questions, but resisted as he tried to put his fingers on her neck to read her pulse. She gripped his wrist tightly, Loki was afraid she'd break his arm.
He pushed himself up, jogging back towards the scene. "Gamora, he's a doctor." He quickly explained, hoping to ease some of the tension.
She looked at Loki and back to Strange narrowing her eyes before releasing him from her grip. "I remember you," she said to Strange as he rubbed his already swelling wrist. "I'm sorry," she muttered.
Strange nodded, "It's fine. How are you feeling?"
She met Loki's eyes then, "Like we lost." Her tone was emotionless, but he saw the defeat set into her features.
Loki shook his head, "Not yet."