The Soulmate Initiative: Book 2

9. What is family?

LOCATION: ZEN-WHOBERI

⏪
FLASHBACK
Little Gamora is being held tightly by her mother, in their house "We'll be safe. We'll be safe." Outside, guns are firing, creatures are roaring and people are screaming. There's an explosion very close by and little Gamora screams, her mother covers her mouth, but not quick enough. They both scream as their door is broken open, Gamora is grabbed and dragged away by one alien and her mother by another "Mother! Where's my mother!?" Ebony Maw speaks over all the chaos "Zehobereias. Choose a side or die." They round up as many of the people as they can, killing those who resist, they're putting everyone in two lines, opposite each other. Gamora keeps screaming as she's dragged along "Mother!" She tries to fight against the alien that has ahold of her, he eventually releases her and walks away. Ebony continues "One side is a revelation... the other an honour known only to a few."

Gamora looks up at the Titan standing in front of her, the reason the other alien had stopped dragging her. Thanos asks "What's wrong, little one?" "My mother. Where is my mother?" He crouches down to take a better look at her, she isn't scared of him, she is just scared for her mother "What's your name?" "Gamora." "You're quite the fighter, Gamora." He holds out a huge hand to her "Come. Let me help you." She wraps her tiny hand around one of his giant fingers, his hand is nearly as big as her whole body. Thanos walks her away from everyone else, away from the two lines of her people.

He pulls a double ended dagger out of his pocket "Look. Pretty, isn't it?" He balances it on one finger "Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Too much to one side or the other..." He tilts her dagger until it falls, but he quickly grabs it "Here. You try." He hands the child the dagger, as behind them Ebony says "Now, go in peace to meet your maker." One line of people are shot. When Gamora hears them screaming and looks over her shoulder, Thanos turns her back "Uh uh. Concentrate." Gamora balances the dagger on her tiny finger "There. You've got it."
⏩

LOCATION: SPACE

Gamora looks down at the dagger in her hand. Peter calls out to her "Gamora. Do you know if these grenades are the blow off your junk kind or the gas kind? Because I was thinking about hanging a couple on my belt right here. But I don't want to-" "I need to ask a favour." "Yeah, sure." "One way or another, the path that we're on leads to Thanos." "Which is what the grenades are for." She gives him a look "Uh, I'm sorry. What's the favour?" "If things go wrong... if Thanos gets me..." She looks him in the eyes "I want you to promise me... you'll kill me." "What?" She looks away "I know something he doesn't. And if he finds it out, the entire universe could be at risk." "What do you know?" "If I tell you, you'd know too." "If it's so important... shouldn't I?" She locks eyes with him again "Only if you wanna die." "Why does somebody always have to die in this scenario?" "Just... trust me. And possibly kill me." "I mean, I'd like to. I really would, but you-" She sighs and covers his mouth with her hand "Swear to me. Swear to me on your mother." She removes her hand from his mouth, after a few moments, Quill replies "Okay." The pair kiss.

They continue to make out, until loud crunching is heard. Standing off to the side, eating and watching, is Drax. Quill looks disgusted "Oh, dude. How long have you been standing there?" "An hour." "An hour?" Gamora asks "Are you serious?" "I've mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still... that I become invisible to the eye. Watch." He very slowly starts moving food to his mouth, Quill points it out "You're eating a zarg-nut." "But my movement... was so slow... that's it's imperceptible." They both shake their heads "No." "I'm sure I'm invisible." Mantis walks into the same section of the ship "Hi, Drax." Drax sighs "Damn it."