by Liza Palmer
"You...you're eatmg a zarg-nut." Quill couldn't stand whatever Drax was domg for one more second.
"But my movement was so slow that it's imperceptible—"
"No." Both Quill and Gamora shook their heads.
"I'm sure I'm invisible." Drax held firm.
"Hi, Drax!" Mantis said, walking mto the room.
"Dang it." Drax crumpled the zarg-nut bag and huffed out of the room.
Knowhere held no one, it seemed.
"This place looks deserted," Quill said as their ship flew overhead, scanning the abandoned, empty world.
"I'm reading movement in the third quadrant," Drax offered.
Gamora tried to prepare herself as best she could. Would Thanos be lying in wait? Had he been here already? She'd always known—deep down and with every possible scenario that she had braced herself for—that it'd be just a matter of time before she would come face-to-face with Thanos. Even- path led directly to him. It always had. Her face fell as the reality of all this washed over her.
"Yep. I'm picking that up, too," said Quill. "Let's put it down right here." He piloted the Guardians' ship to a safe landing amid the remnants of the planet.
They reached the former site of the Collector's museum, which was now just a shell of its former self. The Guardians crept through the ransacked cavernous space of oddities and riches that had been gathered throughout the ages and placed on display there. They came to a sudden stop when they heard the low grumbling voice of Thanos ordering Tanleer Tivan, the Collector, to surrender the Stone. "Everyone m the galaxy knows you'd sell your own brother if you thought it would add even the slightest trinket to your pathetic collection."
Gamora steeled herself as Thanos's voice echoed throughout the abandoned museum.
Quill held up a fist, signaling to the rest of the Guardians to freeze. One by one, they walked past him, each completely ignoring their captain. With a sigh. Quill caught up with his insubordinate crew as they took m the scene playing out before them. The Collector was on his back and lying on the floor, bloodied and begging for his life. Thanos stood over him, unarmored and impatient.
"I know you have the Reality Stone, Tivan. Giving it to me will spare you a great deal of suffering." Thanos stepped forward, placing a heavy foot in the middle of the Collector's chest. "I told you. I sold it. Why would I lie?" The Collector's words were ragged and choking, the weight of Thanos's foot slowly wringing out every last breath. "I imagine it's like breathing for you." Thanos looked down at the squirming Collector with disdain. "Like suicide." A haunting glint shimmered in the Collector's wild eyes.
"You do understand." A smile curled across Thanos's face. "Not even you would surrender something so precious." "I didn't know what it was." The Collector's words were pained and pleading.
"Then you're more of a fool than I took you for." Thanos looked away from his prey, seemmg to contemplate whether he believed this version of the truth. "It's him," Drax fumed, watching from the sidelines.
"Last chance, charlatan. Where's the Stone?" Thanos pressed his foot into the Collector's chest. Drax inhaled a deep breath. "Today—"
"Drax. Drax—" Quill tried to get Drax's attention before he did something stupid, like the last time they were on Knowhere and he decided to take on Ronan the Accuser all by himself. It didn't work out then and was going to work out even worse now.
But Drax was past the pomt of listening to reason. "He pays for the deaths of my wife and daughter."
"Drax, wait." Drax unsheathed his knife as Quill desperately whispered warnings at him. "Not yet, not yet, not yet." Quill sped around, trying to cut the fast-moving Drax off at the pass. "Drax. Drax, Drax, Drax. Listen to me. He doesn't have the Stone yet. If we get it, then we can stop him. We have to get the Stone first."
"No. No. For Ovette. For Camaria." Drax lunged for Thanos, but Mantis had crept up behind him, placing her hand on him and whispering "Sleep" right at the last moment. The large man fell like a stone.
The thud of Drax's fall echoed around the museum and, as Thanos scanned the area, the remaining Guardians ducked for cover.
Thanos lifted his foot off the Collector's chest and tossed him into one of his own display cases. Lookmg around for the source of the loud thud, Thanos began striding in their direction. "Okay," Quill hissed. "Gamora, Mantis, you go right..." Gamora began to charge in from the left, swords raised, leapmg to get higher ground. "The other right."
Gamora caught Thanos by surprise, but the large Titan barely swatted away one of the blades before she could deliver a killing blow. Another strike, another deflection. Father and daughter were grunting with every parry and jab, focused only on the battle at hand. A battle that could save the universe, or destroy it.
As Gamora swung a blade at Thanos's head, the person she once called "Father" caught the sword between his hands and snapped it m half Not stoppmg, Gamora angled her body and thrust, the sword finding its mark. She plunged it mto Thanos's neck.
The foe's eyes widened m shock, grabbing the blade to pull it free, but Gamora had one last trick m store.
From her boot, Gamora revealed the perfectly balanced hilt: the first gift Thanos ever gave her. She popped both blades out and let it dance briefly on her fmger before...thunk She plunged the balanced blade into Thanos's chest, restoring order to the universe.
"Why?" Thanos croaked. He fell to his knees before falling onto his back against a twisted and destroyed display case. Gamora began to cry as he reached his hand out to her. "Why you, daughter?" Gamora collapsed into sobs as she watched his outstretched hand fall lifelessly to the ground beneath it. The Collector watched in disbelief from inside his display case.
"That was quick,5': Quill said to a now awakened Drax, both still on the sidelines. The Collector started clapping. "Magnificent! Magnificent! Magnificent!" He cheered as Gamora continued to sob. "Is that sadness I sense m you, daughter?"
Gamora looked down, but Thanos's body was disappearing. His voice, however, echoed through all of Knowhere. "In my heart, I knew you still cared. But no one really knows for sure."
Around them, Knowhere changed. The Collector disappeared from the case he was held m. Jars were shattered, priceless artifacts smashed. Worse, everything was in flames.
All of Knowhere burned around them, destroyed by Thanos rs army.
The madman's voice growled once more. "Reality is often disappointing."
A slight gust of wind sucked past them as a slice of the world opened a void in the fabric of reality itself. Thanos, holdmg up the Infinity Gauntlet, revealed the three Stones now in his possession, including the glowing red Reality Stone.
"That is, it was." He grinned wickedly. "Now, reality can be whatever I want."
As the actuality of their surroundings was fully revealed to the Guardians, Gamora paled. "You knew I'd come."
"I counted on it," he said plainly. "There's somethmg we need to discuss, little one." Gamora looked up at Thanos and then lunged forward for her sword. But Thanos was too quick. And in an instant, he scooped her high up into the air as the sword clattered to the floor.
Drax, his mortal enemy and killer of his family in sight, roared at the Titan. "Thanos!"
As he lunged forward, both knives high in the air, Drax began to change. Lit by the glow of the Reality Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet, Drax's body was spotlighted as it began to cube and fall apart like myriad clay building blocks.
Gamora saw Thanos turn to Mantis, a wicked smile on his face. "No!"
But she was too late. Mantis's body unspooled like ribbons, twisting and springing around.
Thanos gripped his daughter and pulled her in tightly. No tricks this time.
"Let her go. Grimace!" bellowed Quill, blaster raised. Thanos looked at Quill with a bemused tilt of the head. "Peter," Gamora begged, tight in Thanos's clutches.
"I told you to go right," Quill said, signaling that he had no intention of keeping his promise. "Now? Really?" Gamora asked, her voice choking. "You let her go!" Quill yelled.
; "Ah. The boyfriend." Thanos sounded underwhelmed.
Peter s eyes were aflame with rage. "Like to think of myself more as a Titan-killing, long-term booty call." His fingers tightened around his blaster. "Let. Her. Go." He spat out every word.
"Peter/1 Gamora pleaded.
"I'm gonna blow that chin right off your face—" But Quill was interrupted by Gamora, once again calmly calling his name.
"Peter. Not him." She was in tears, but her breathing was finally steadying. Quill looked at her and the moment expanded as he kept his blaster safely trained on Thanos and not Gamora. His mmd reeled, looking for another way out. Any other way out. Gamora sensed his hesitation.
"You promised," she implored him. She choked out her plea once more. "You promised."
With every ounce of control he had. Quill lowered his blaster so it pointed directly at the love of his life. Gamora breathed in a gasp of relief and closed her eyes.
"Oh, daughter. You expect too much from him." Thanos zeroed m on Quill. "She's asked, hasn't she?" Gamora looked at Peter, becommg more and more resigned. "Do it." Thanos egged him on as the tears began to well up in Peter's eyes. Running out of patience, Thanos stepped forward, shoving Gamora right into the end of Quill's blaster. "Do it!" he bellowed.
Peter's voice cracked. There was no other way and he knew it. "I told you to go right...."
"I love you more than anything." Lookmg directly in Peter Quill's eyes, Gamora said the words for the first time, and probably the last. Peter didn't hesitate. "I love you too."
The pair closed their eyes, not wanting to look as they fulfilled their pact. Gamora braced herself, heard Peter squeeze the trigger, and exhaled as she felt... ...bubbles? Dozens of bubbles rose from the barrel of Peter's blaster. The red glow of the Reality Stone made them glimmer like ethereal rubies. "I like him," Thanos chuckled.
Before Peter and Gamora could realize what was happening, a cloud of black smoke enveloped Thanos and his captive daughter, teleporting them far away. Drax and Mantis began to regain their normal forms, but Peter, holdmg Gamora's broken sword, felt in his gut that nothing would ever be normal again.
Emotions were running high in the Avengers Headquarters. Tony Stark was missing and presumed off-world, and now Secretary of State Ross was grilling James Rhodes—known also as War Machine—as to the whereabouts of Vision while Bruce Banner looked on.
"Still no word from Vision?'1 Secretary Ross asked, his holographic image flickering in through the comms system.
"Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh," Rhodey answered wearily.
"On a stolen Quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals." Ross was speaking from the comfort of a faraway conference room: bustling with fellow cabinet members and high-ranking officials. "You know they're only crimmals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?" Rhodey had had enough. "My God, Rhodes. Your talent for manipulation rivals my own," Ross spat. "If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here."
"I remember your signature on those papers. Colonel." Ross stood, crossing to get closer to Rhodey, even if just virtually so. A move he hoped would bring home this issue once and for all.
"That's right. And I'm pretty sure I paid for that." Rhodey looked down at his paralyzed legs, another casualty of the Civil War, as people called it. Rhodey was only able to stand because his legs were now powered fully by Tony and Stark Industries.
"You have second thoughts?"
"Not anymore." Rhodey looked straight into Ross's eyes.
Both men turned to see a group of people enter the room, Captam America and Black Widow at the front; bringing up the rear. Vision, being held up by the Scarlet Witch and Falcon. "Mr. Secretary," Cap said to the flickering ranking officer. Ross took his time to reply, walking over closer to fully take in the estranged Captam. "You got some nerve. I'll give you that," Secretary Ross said, taking in the five new arrivals.
"You could use some of that right now," Natasha said coldly. She always stepped in, coming to Steve's aid when the proper response wasn't a respectful or polite one. Secretary Ross gave her a hard look and returned his attention to Cap.
"The world's on fire and you think all is forgiven?" Ross asked Cap pointedly.
"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So, we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way, we'll fight you, too." Cap was adamant and unwavering. His unflinching pledge unfurled throughout the room. Secretary Ross turned away from Cap and faced Rhodey.
"Arrest them."
"All over it," Rhodey said, unmoving. Except to raise his hand and swipe Ross's flickering hologram out of the Avengers Headquarters once and for all.
"That's the court martial," Rhodey said to Cap. The moment expanded between them, and then Rhodey smiled. "It's great to see you, Cap," he said, making his way to Steve. They shook hands. "You too, Rhodey," Steve said, trying to hide his guilt behind a genume smile of gratitude toward his friend.
"Hey," Rhodey said to Natasha, before pulling her in for a hug. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Rhodey, happy to have at least some of the red in her ledger from the past two years accounted for.
Rhodes stepped back, looking at Cap, Black Widow, Falcon, Wanda, and Vision, all still fresh from their fight with Proxima Midmght and Corvus Glaive m Scotland. "Wow. You guys really look like crap." The time and distance he had spent apart from his former teammates began to sink m. "Must've been a rough couple. ..years."
"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five-star," Sam joked.
"I think you look great," came a familiar voice entering the lab. Bruce Banner gave a weak smile and a shrug as his teammates saw him for the first time in years. "Yeah. I'm back." "Hi, Bruce," Natasha said softly, seeing the man she'd once hoped—maybe still hoped—would become something more than a friend.
"Nat," he replied, as discomfort filled the room. Bruce and Natasha couldn't look away from each other—there were too many unspoken words between them. "This is awkward," Sam finally said, cutting the tension.
Bruce and the rest of the Avengers gathered in the large den-turned-war room. Bruce was as animated as ever, trying to make sure everyone understood the odds they faced. The Children of Thanos had found them once already; they could do it again. With the Time Stone somewhere m space—hopefully safe with Tom-—that left the Mind Stone.
"So, we gotta assume they're coming back, right?" Sam asked.
"And they can clearly find us," Wanda added.
"We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" asked Banner, referring to Clint Barton, known also as Hawkeye.
"After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest," Natasha said. "Who's Scott?" Banner asked, wondering if he'd ever be fully caught up. "Scott Lang. Ant-Man," Cap answered.
"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked. "Wow. Okay, look. Thanos has the biggest army in the universe, and he's not gonna stop until he gets..." Bruce hesitated, taking in the wounded android. "Vision's Stone."
"Well, then, we have to protect it," Black Widow swore, stepping forward. A quiet voice stopped all crosstalk. "No. We have to destroy it."
All eyes turned to see Vision, staring out a window. He took a moment before looking to Cap. He gently touched the yellow Stone embedded m his head. "I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity m my head. About its nature. But also its composition."
He walked to Wanda, knowing his words would be met with resistance, even if it was the right thing to do. "I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own energy signature, perhaps..." He took her hands in his, bracing. "Perhaps its molecular integrity could fail."
Wanda looked up at him, challenging his plan immediately. "Yeah, and you with it." Her voice lowered to an intimate whisper. "We are not having this conversation."
"Eliminating the Stone is the only way to be
certain that Thanos can't get it," Vision explained, as if logic had anything to do with why Wanda wouldn't even begin to entertain his plan.
Cap could only watch on hopelessly as Wanda and Vision had almost exactly the same conversation he'd had with Peggy seventy years ago when he'd put Hydra's plane down in the Arctic rather than have the Tesseract detonate and cost untold millions of human lives. He couldn't stand by and let Wanda's and Vision's lives—and futures together—spool out as his and Peggy's had. He had to find another way.
"That's too high a price," Wanda pleaded.
Vision stroked her hair. "Only you have the power to pay it." Wanda walked away from Vision as he continued speaking. "Thanos threatens half the universe." Vision turned to face the group, motioning toward himself. "One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."
The beat of silence was broken by a commanding voice as Cap stepped forward.
"But it should." Cap shook his head. "We don't trade lives, Vision."
Vision's voice was strong. "Captain, seventy years ago you laid down your life to save how many millions of people? Tell me, why is this any different?"
Before Cap could answer, Bruce cut in. "Because you might have a choice. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays: JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another," Bruce explained.
"You're saying Vision isn't just the Stone?" Wanda asked, her voice cracking with tormented hope that there could be another way.
"I'm saying that if we take out the Stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left." Banner smiled at the implications. "Perhaps the best parts."
"Can we do that?" Natasha asked.
"Not me. Not here," Bruce confessed.
"Well, you'd better find someone and somewhere fast. Ross isn't just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back," Rhodes warned. Luckily, Captain America was already way ahead of them. "I know somewhere."
The great Panther Statue soared high above the lush green mountains surroundmg the nation of Wakanda. To the outside world, Wakanda was a country located in North East Africa known, until recently, for shepherds and textiles.