Contest of Champions

37

The three Avengers chase after me as I try to put as much distance between us as possible. Spear still in my hand, I cast around frantically for some way to escape or kill my pursuers.

Up ahead, I see a landing platform with several mining pods on the large racks, clearly meant for many more than are provided. Perfect, I think, adjusting my course. I can escape via the pods.

Okoye, Brock, and Clint keep up a pretty good pace as they sprint after me, but I manage to maintain my lead. The distance between me and the pods dwindles and I put on a burst of speed, the spear collapsing down into a foot long tube in my hand.

Five mining pods sit on the platform and I head for the closest one. Skidding to a halt beside it, I push the hatch open and climb inside, settling into the seat as Okoye, Brock, and Clint race onto the platform.

Clint stops and brings his bow up, fitting an arrow to the string. The projectile flies towards me with incredible precision but I snatch it out of the air, look at the tip, and then smirk at Clint.

"Pathetic," I snap, throwing the arrow to the ground and reaching for the hatch.

Okoye and Brock finally catch up with me as I grab the hatch. "You're not going anywhere," Okoye growls at me, brandishing Killmonger's short spear.

In response, I prompt my spear to expand and the Wakandan is force to hurl herself backwards to avoid the spearhead. Brock fires at me, the slide jerking backwards as his Glock handgun spits out the bullets at me. The first strikes my cheek and my head whips sideways, slamming against the back of the pod's cockpit as the follow up bullet hits my neck. I can already feel the contusions blossoming from where I was hit, spreading their dark petals over my pale skin, as I hurl a dagger at Brock and pull the hatch shut as he dives for cover.

Grabbing the controls, I power the pod up and take it up into the air. Another arrow from Clint rattles off the exterior as I bare my teeth, not quite sure if it's in a grin or a grimace.

Okoye shouts and the three scatter, racing for the other pods. I push the pod's engines, heading up into the upper atmosphere of the asteroid. The machine may be bulky, but it's not slow. I also have a head start on the Avengers.

The sound of more engines fill the air and I increase the power of my pod's engines, pushing it as fast as it can go. There are no weapons on the pod but that means my pursuers aren't armed, either. And that is certainly a bonus.

It's instantly clear that this chase isn't going to get me away from the Avengers, not while we're flying around in this concealed space. There's nowhere I can go where they won't find me. I check my monitors and see Brock's pod gaining on mine, Okoye's not far behind.

Wait...where's Clint's?

Something slams into my pod from the side, sending me flipping over. Thrown to the side within my pod, I bang my head on the metal siding and yelp involuntarily, gritting my teeth to prevent any more sounds of weakness from emerging. I can't allow the audience to see that the collision rattled or injured me.

My pod has lost all the speed I'd gained with my head start and it takes me a moment to wrestle for control over my ship. I see Okoye's pod coming in from the side and I slap at the controls, dropping about fifteen feet as she hurtles through where I had been, heading right for Clint.

A grin creeps across my lips and I laugh as the two allies collide. Directing power back to my engines, I soar forward, heading up past them towards the gap leading out into open space. Brock is still on my tail, but I should be able to make it out before he reaches me. Okoye and Clint eventually right their pods and start after me but I have enough of a lead on the two of them.

I can make it.

The wide expanse of black space opens before me as my pod flies up towards the exit of the asteroid. My eyes are glued on the openness before me when I'm slammed from behind.

The jolt that shudders through my pod shoves me forward, into my control panel as my pod slams into the rigging surrounding the exit. But my pod holds together and I exhale.

That's right before a beam of pure energy strikes the underside of my pod.

It feels like fire is rippling over my body as the pod splinters, falling apart like a castle made of sand. I'm propelled from the wreckage by the force of the blast and sent tumbling into space.

It's like I'm stuck in slow motion as I drift forward, the effects of the beam still pouring over me. Then I'm suspended in space, without the ability to maneuver. My spear, still in collapsed form, floats before me, just out of reach. Up ahead of me, a large ship looms, almost threateningly, and there's a blurred red figure standing in the circular cockpit, looking out. But the ship's too far away for me to reach before I die.

I can feel space's groping fingers causing crystals to branch across my skin, numbing my senses. I'll last longer than a normal contender out here but still, I'll die if something doesn't happen soon to prevent it.

I can hear the engines of the Avengers' pods stuttering as they enter open space. I'm sure they're wondering what to do about me, whether or not to ram into me or just let me die of exposure. I know one thing, though: they're going to wait for the cannon, the sound of my life escaping my body, before they leave.

The crystals lace across my eyelids and I feel my eyesight flickering, just slightly. I have lost all mobility, and now there's nothing left to do but wait for death so the cannon can release me from this Contest.

I'm sorry, Gamora. I can't tell her that, can't see her realize I'm not coming back. There's no breath with which to speak. But at least I can die thinking my apology. I did mean to keep my promise. Sorry, Mother. Looks like Father won't have his three victors.

A whirring white light surrounds me and I think I'm dead, the second time today. But then I'm being drawn forward and I manage to focus my eyes on the origin of the light. It's coming from the ship.

It feels like forever until the beam sucks me into a hatch and I'm closed off from space. I roll down an incline, and another hatch opens, dropping me face first onto the metal floor of the ship. Something hits my back and falls off onto the floor with a clatter. I gasp for air, almost unable to believe that I'm alive.

Shoving myself up onto my forearms, I duck my head and suck in deep breaths of air. Touching my face, I feel that not only have the crystals vanished, the bruise from Brock's gun has, also. Turning my head slightly reveals the object that struck me was my spear. I shake my head as if to clear it and continue to breathe deeply, relieved that I'm not out of the Contest yet.

The blast of light that took me out. Where had it come from? There are no weapons on the pods. Who shot me down?

There's only one explanation, only one that makes any sort of sense.

Veers.

Why would she shoot me? Especially right after fighting Yon-Rogg to save me. At least, that's what it looked like. Perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps killing your district partner in order to prevent the death of another contender isn't really saving their life. Perhaps I had the wrong idea of what I was doing when I killed Sif to save Hogun. Perhaps I wasn't trying to save his life.

I shove away my sarcastic thoughts and return to my first question. Why would Veers shoot me down after saving my life?

I don't even hear the person approach until his voice cuts through my thoughts, startling me into looking up.

"Hey," he says, his voice small and with anervous hint running through it. "I'm Peter."