Chapter 5- Horrifying Discovery

"Now, you need to readjust the way you process life." Ego continued as he and Peter rounded the corner to the main chamber. "Everything around us, including the girl, everything is temporarily." They were walking through the egg screen room. "We are forever. Me, you, and your sister."

Peter tilted his head, but kept walking, "But doesn't eternity get boring?"

"Not if you have a purpose, Peter, which is why you are here. I told you how all those years ago I had an unceasing impulse to find life. But what I did not tell you was how, when I finally did find it, It was all so… disappointing." They stopped to look at one of the eggs showing Ego standing in front of a little pink skinned girl holding a stuffed bear."

Peter looked at his father in confusion. "That," Ego continued, without caring that his son seemed confused, "And that is when I came to a profound realization." They were now standing in the lowered circle floor in the egg screening room. Ego began to pace, "My innate desire to seek out other life was not so that I could walk among that life. Peter." Ego came to a stop in front of his son.

"I have found meaning." Ego lifted his left hand and with his index figure touched Peter's forehead, sending Peter leering backwards.

His eyes showed the universe within them, constantly spinning. "Whoa!" Peter exclaimed, "Whoa!" His breath came in short gasps, "I- I see it! Eternity!"

Gamora came charging into the room with Nebula behind her carrying an unconscious Valkyrie. She stormed up to Mantis and pushed her up against the wall and lifted her up by her neck, "Who are you people?!" Gamora yelled, "What is this place?"

"Gamora!" Drax yelled, "Let her go!"

Mantis tried to breath but Gamora wouldn't let her grip go, "The bodies in the caverns. Who are they?!"

Mantis's antennas began to glow, "You are scared."

"Gamora, enough." Came Valkyrie's rough voice. Gamora dropped Mantis who coughed while Gamora spun around to see Valkyrie standing up and leaning heavily on Nebula who looked super uncomfortable at the interaction. Gamora backed away from Mantis.

"I call it, the Expansion." Ego continued. Planets from all over the galaxy began to pop up in simulations across the ceiling of the room. Each had a shining blue light in the center. "It is my purpose, and now it is yours as well."

Peter stared up at the ceiling with his mouth open, his eyes still held the universe within them. "It's beautiful."

"Over thousands of years," Ego continued, seemingly not even concerned with the state his son was in, "I implanted thousands of extensions of myself on thousands of worlds." The egg that they were standing in front of showed a picture of Ego taking a blue light out of his right shoulder and into the ground of a planet. The egg closed and reopened again to show the light trickling down to the center of the planet. "I need to fulfill life's one true purpose."

The egg closed and reopened again, disappearing and in it's place, a planet showed the light encompassing itself, "To grow and spread, covering all that exists. All the planets around the two showed the same process. "Until everything is me!"

"What did she do to me?" Gamora gasped, holding her hand and flexing her fingers in and out.

Drax came up to her, "She already told me everything."

Valkyrie stumbled her footing and grabbed onto Nebula who winced at the contact.

"I only had one problem. A single celestial doesn't have enough power for such an enterprise. But two celestials…." Ego held up two fingers on his right hand, "Well, now that just might do."

Peter's head turned toward Ego.

Mantis straightened up, "The bodies… are his children."

Valkyrie gaped at Mantis in shock, horrified.

"Out of all my labors, the most beguiling was attempting to graft my DNA with that of another species." Another egg showed next to them, Ego kissing multiple women of different races. The egg closed and reopened to show more couples kissing Ego, overcrowding the open spot in the egg. "I hoped the result of such a coupling would be enough to power-" The egg closed and opened again to show more women kissing Ego. "-the Expansion."

"I had Yondu deliver some of them to me. It broke the Revenger code, but I compensated him generously and to ease his conscious, I said I'd never hurt them. And that was true. They never felt a thing. But after one after the other they failed me. Not one of them carried the Celestial genes." Ego sighed. "Until Valkyrie, of course. But then her bitch of a mother sent her away from me. For that she was punished greatly."

"Finally, you came, Peter. Out of all my spawn, I tried to find Valkyrie, but she was hidden so I considered her a failure, only you carried the connection to the light."

"We need to find Peter now." Valkyrie said, breathless. She had no idea what was wrong with her, but it was bad. And her brother was with Ego, in danger. "And get off this damn planet."

"Ego will have won him to his side by now." Mantis stated. "He has a way with-"

Valkyrie cut her off, snarling, "Don't you dare say that about my brother! He would never side with that monster!"

"Can't we just go?" Nebula stated unemotionally.

"No! He's my brother, I'm not leaving him!" Valkyrie yelled at Nebula then yelled again, this time in pain, clutching hear head., "Ah!"

"Valkyrie!" Gamora responded, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Ah… how the hell should I know?!"

"All any of you do is yell at each other." Nebula stated, "You are not friends."

Drax stepped forward, "You're right." Valkyrie stared at Drax in shock until he said, "We're family." Then Val gave a small, but pained smile, "We leave no one behind." Then he stared at Nebula, "Except maybe you."

Valkyrie snorted while Nebula shook here head and muttered, "Oh my god."

"For the first time in my existence," Ego declared, "I am truly not alone!" Ego threw his arms up in the air in victory. Peter's head dropped and the universe in his eyes dimmed. Ego noticed, "What is it son?"

"My friends?" Peter whispered.

Ego sighed, "You see, that's the mortal in you, Peter."

"Yes."

"We are beyond such things."

"Yes."

Ego turned his back and began speaking again, "Now-"

Peter interrupted, "But my mother?" Ego turned around to face Peter. "You said you loved my mother. What about my sister?"

"And that I did. My river lily who knew all the words to every song that came over the radio. I returned to Earth to see her three times. And I knew if I returned a fourth, well, I'd never leave. The Expansion… the reason for my very existence, would be over. So, I did what I had to do. But it broke my heart to put that tumor in her head. I could see the same thing that happened to me, happening to you with your sister. A brotherly love. But that was too dangerous. Too much of an attachment. So, I did the same to Valkyrie."

The universe in Peter's eyes quickly vanished and his eyes returned to normal. "What?" Peter growled softly.