Chapter 4- Gamora and Valkyrie VS. Nebula

Ego pushed open the doors to the inside of the palace. "Whoa!" Peter exclaimed, staring at the majestic architecture.

"I don't know where I came from exactly." Ego started, "The first thing I remember is flickering," Ego lead the group toward the first egg shape with the image of a brain. Valkyrie bet that it was Ego's, "Adrift in the cosmos of utterly and entirely alone. Over millions of years, I learned to control the molecules around me. I grew smarter and stronger."

The image changed from the brain to a planet, "And I continued building from there." Ego lead the group toward the next egg shape which opened up to show the image of the planet being built, "Layer by layer. The very planet you walk on now."

"Whoa." Peter stated again.

Valkyrie stared in amazement but was careful. The bad feeling that she felt by the campfire was back in full force, even worse than before. Now, it didn't even feel like a feeling. It felt as if she was getting a cold.

"But I wanted more." Ego stated. "I desired meaning, 'there must be some life out there in the universe besides just me.' I thought." Ego continued as we continued down the hall to more egg type things. "And so, I set myself the task of finding it. I created what I imagined biological life to be like, down to the most minute detail." An image of a younger version of Ego appeared in another Egg-shaped device.

"Did you make a penis?" Drax asked.

"Dude!" Peter turned around, exasperated.

"What is with you?!" Gamora asked.

"If he is a planet, how could he make a baby with your mothers? He would smush her."

"I don't need to know how my parents-"

Drax tilted his head, "Why? My father would tell the story of impregnating my mother every winter solstice."

Valkyrie's face scrunched up, "That's disgusting!"

"It was beautiful." Drax remarked, "You Earthers have hang-ups."

Ego held both his hands up in a 'priestly style,' "Yes, Drax, I do got a penis."

"Thank you!" Drax exclaimed.

"It's not half bad. I've also got pain receptors and a digestive system and all the accompanying junk. I wanted to experience what it truly meant to be human as I set out amongst the stars until I found what I sought. Life. I was not alone in the universe after all." The next egg showed an image of younger Ego and a female child with pink skin, blue dress holding a brown teddy-bear.

"When did you meat my mother?" Peter asked. "I already know you met her after Val was born. But when was that in your human timeline?"

"I met your mother, Valkyrie, almost right after I discovered that I wasn't alone. She was called Gem. We fell in love almost immediately. Nine months later, you were born. She died in the attack I mentioned back by the camp-fire on Berhert."

Valkyrie swallowed and glanced at Peter. He didn't even acknowledge her, just stared at their father. She had always imagined what it would be like to meet her father. What she would say. This was the first time she was stunned speechless. It didn't help that she had a pounding headache now.

"I met your mother, Peter, when I crashed to Earth. She helped fix me up, and helped me tinker with the ship." Ego let out a small laugh, "She had no idea what she was doing, but still helped me out, a stranger. I called her my river lily. She… she was my rock. I had just lost my wife and new born daughter in one swoop. I'll admit that I fell for her. We had a short, whorl-wind of a relationship. And from that love, Peter, you. I have searched for the two of you for so long. And when I learned of a man from Earth, who held an Infinity Stone in his hand without dying I knew you must be the son of the women I loved."

"Uh, Valkyrie held the stone." Peter got out.

Ego smiled, "But you joined hands. Anyone else would be dust. The two of you combined is what quelled that power."

"If you loved my mother, why did you leave her?" Peter asked.

Drax and Gamora were off with Mantis while Peter and Valkyrie talked with their father, Ego. They were standing outside in the gardens where they were two female statues. One was pale skin with curly blond hair, blue dress and carrying a basket of flowers. The other was pale with straight brown hair in some sort of battle dress with a sword strapped across her back.

"My mother told everyone my father was from the stars." Peter started. Valkyrie subtly rubbed her temple, which was still throbbing, but listened to her brother talk. "She had brain cancer, so everyone thought she was delusional."

"Peter." Ego started but Peter interrupted.

"Listen, I'd love to believe all of this, I really would. But you left the most wonderful women ever to die alone." Peter said, walking around Ego to face away from him.

"I didn't want to leave your mother, Peter." Ego stated, frustrated, spun around and walked toward Peter, as if trying to plead with him, "If I don't return regularly to my planet, all the light within it and this form will wither and perish."

"So why didn't you come back? Why did you send Yondu? A criminal of all people, to come and fetch me?"

"I loved your mother, Peter!" Ego exclaimed, holding onto his arms, "I couldn't stand to set foot on an Earth where she wasn't living! You can't imagine what that's like!"

Valkyrie could tell that Peter was pissed, "I know exactly what that feels like!" Peter shouted. "I had to watch her die!"

Ego paused for a minute, then, "Over the millions and millions of years of my existence, I've made many mistakes, Peter. But you're not one of them. Please give me the chance to be the father she would want me to be." Ego then turned toward Valkyrie, "And you, Valkyrie. My first born. I missed the both of you growing up."

We were all silent for a moment. Then, "There's so much that I need to teach you two about this planet and the light within. They are apart of you, Peter, Valkyrie."

"What do you mean?" Valkyrie asked. "I mean, I know I'm your daughter, but I think I would have noticed a 'light' within me." Valkyrie swallowed, still not feeling well.

"Give me your hands, children." Ego said. Hesitantly, Valkyrie held out both her hands and Peter followed suit. "Hold them like that." Ego stated, "Now, close your eyes and concentrate." Peter and Valkyrie closed their eyes, "Take your brain to the center of this planet."

Valkyrie and Peter concentrated and then both yelped as an unknown blue energy flooded their hands.

"Whoa!" Peter exclaimed.

Valkyrie breathed out, "What the hell?"

"Yes! Yes! It's okay!" Ego said as the energy in both of their hands dissipated. "Just relax and concentrate. You both can do it! Bring it back."

Valkyrie concentrated, and the blue energy came back. She glanced at Peter whose energy was back as well. Her eyes were wide. How the hell did she have this kind of power? She would have known, wouldn't she have?

"Yes, now shape it!" Ego said, "Feel that energy."

Both Valkyrie and Peter thought the same thing and shaped their energy into a ball. They stared at the energy in their hand and then at each other. Peter had tears in his eyes and Valkyrie just stared in wonder, her head still throbbing.

"You're home, children. Finally, you're home." Ego stated, smiling, as if he was victorious.

Valkyrie let her energy dissipate but Peter kept his going. "Peter." Ego stated, holding out his hands. Peter tossed the ball to Ego who caught it then shaped the energy into a tighter ball and threw it to Valkyrie who caught it in surprise.

Peter looked at Valkyrie who looked back, smiling. Valkyrie tossed the ball to Peter. Ego backed up to the middle of the circle then Valkyrie backed up to the edge of the circle in the middle to form a triangle. They began to pass the ball back and forth between the three of them, just having fun.

She had found her family and she ignored the growing headache to spend time with them.

Valkyrie had spent some time lying down, trying to get rid of her headache, nothing was working though. So, she got back up and went to go find Peter. She heard shouting along the way and ran in time to hear Peter yelled, "I finally found my family, don't you understand that?!"

Gamora responded with, "I thought you already had." Gamora turned around and stalked out of the room.

Valkyrie didn't even bother going to comfort her brother. He deserved some alone time after what he just said. Instead she raced after Gamora.

Apparently Gamora had sprinted after she had gotten outside, and it took Valkyrie some time to find her.

"Go away Val. Don't you want to spend time with your new family." Gamora spat the last word.

Valkyrie sighed and took off her jacket and tied it around her waist. It was getting rather hot. She sat down next to Gamora. "I know you guys didn't really want me to come… I mean, who would want an Xandarian Commander as part of their group?"

Gamora lifted her head to look at her, "Why did you come?"

Before Valkyrie could answer they heard an engine of a ship. Gamora and Valkyrie stood up and whorled around to see a ship coming straight at them. Valkyrie's eyes widened as she yelled, "RUN!" As the ship began to fire at them, Nebula's yelling voice came over the ship's speakers.

Gamora and Valkyrie sprinted the other direction to get away from the ship. They ran, and Valkyrie yelled as the ground disappeared and the ship almost crashed into them. They fell onto the ground and Gamora looked up and muttered, "Psychopath." Valkyrie just groaned in response.

The ship turned around to make another pass. Valkyrie and Gamora glanced at each other and made a break for the cave. They made it just in time and Nebula's ship made a U-turn for a third attack, heading straight for the cave they were in.

Valkyrie ran for her life and Gamora followed her as Nebula flew the ship into the cave. "She's inane!" Valkyrie yelled to Gamora.

"You didn't have to live with her!" Gamora yelled back.

Nebula flew the ship deeper and deeper into the cave, throwing up dust and eventually, there came another drop and Valkyrie let out a scream as she fell on her back. Small rock fell on top of her and she groaned in pain. She felt her side which felt sticky. Some of the shots from the ship had hit her. She felt awful and had to blink away black spots.

Gamora looked as the ship spun around, crashed and stopped. Nebula was seemingly trapped in the pilot's seat. She spotted one of the ship's guns and grabbed it, lifting it up on her shoulder. Valkyrie managed to pull herself up and gapped at her display.

She began to fire and yell as she walked closer and closer to the ship. The ship eventually fell into a cavern and exploded. Valkyrie covered her face from the heat. Gamora threw down the gun and the two of them stood on top of the ledge, watching Nebula struggle getting out of the pilot's seat.

Then Gamora jumped down and tore off a hanging piece of metal and pulled Nebula out of the burning ship. Puzzled, Valkyrie jumped down and helped Gamora and then the ship exploded, sending them flying back.

Valkyrie, Gamora and Nebula just breathed for a couple seconds, Nebula's joints popped back into place. Gamora and Nebula stared at each other then Nebula launched herself at Gamora and landed on top of her, trying to choke her.

"Are you kidding me!?" Gamora chocked out. Then she flipped Nebula over and now she was on top. Nebula pushed with her feet and threw Gamora off her, landing a couple feet away. Valkyrie stood up to help but then after one step, collapsed in pain.

Nebula grabbed Gamora's throat and squeezed, holding up a knife. Gamora gasped for breath and eventually closed her eyes. Then, after struggling to kill her, Nebula let her go and Gamora began to cough roughly.

Valkyrie was in excruciating pain. Her head hurt, and she was trying to keep conscious, watching Gamora and Nebula's fight.

"I win." Nebula spat, breathing hard, "I win. I bested you in combat."

Gamora looked up at Nebula, "No, I saved your life."

"Well, you were stupid enough to let me live."

"You let me live!"

"I don't always need you to beat me!"

"I'm not the one who just flew across the universe just because I wanted to win."

"Do not tell me what I want!" Nebula shouted.

"It's obvious!"

"You were the one who wanted to win. And I just wanted a sister!"

Valkyrie just watched the exchange with wide eyes, sweating from the pain.

Nebula looked down, "You were all I had. But you were the one who always had to win. Thanos pulled my eye from my head." Nebula looked up in hatred at Gamora, "And my brain from my skull. And my arm from my body… because of you."

They rested for a couple of minutes before Gamora looked to the right to see Valkyrie on the ground then stood up, staring at the mound behind her. "Oh my god."

"What?" Valkyrie got out.

Gamora shook her head and pointed. Nebula at this point had stood up as well and was staring at the same thing.

Valkyrie groaned as she got up and turned around to see a massive pile of bones.

"We need to get off their planet." Nebula stated.

At that, Valkyrie cried out in pain and grabbed her head. "Valkyrie!" Gamora cried as she ran forward and caught her as she collapsed.