Destiny Arrives Page 5

  "Whoa! Mr. Stark, it smells like new car in here!"

  Relieved, Tony smiled as Peter stood tall m the center of the spaceship's ringlike hull, all decked out in his brand-new Iron Spider Armor. And then it was time for Tony to do what he should have done when Peter had first surfaced in Washington Square Park.

  "Happy trails, kid. FRIDAY, send him home," Tony said.

  "Yep," FRIDAY answered. Before Peter could ask what Tony had meant, a parachute designed to take him gently through the Earth's atmosphere without burning unfolded behmd him, pulling him off the craft.

  "Oh come onV Spider-Man yelped as he was whipped away from the spaceship and Thanos and danger and all of Tony's complicated feelings around caring for this kid way too much to focus on the task at hand.

  With Spider-Man safely earthbound. Iron Man attached himself to the ship and began using lasers from his gauntlet to cut mto the hull. A piece flew out and Tony hoisted himself in.

  "Boss, incoming call from Miss Potts," FRIDAY announced just as Tony flew inside Ebony Maw's spaceship. Tony's face fell as Pepper's worried voice crackled through.

  "Tom*? Oh, my God. Are you all right? What's going on?"

  The scene around Tony was like nothing he had seen before. Yet, it was strangely familiar, as were all things Thanos. Pressing a button, Tony activated his boots' stealth mode and he silently began to examine the invading ship.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I just think, uh, we might have to push our eight-thirty dinner res."

  "Why?" Pepper's voice was urgent and terrified. It took everything Tony had to keep himself calm and not think back to mere seconds ago when that terror had been his own, directly connected to the possibility of losing Peter Parker.

  "Just 'cause I'll probably not make it back for a while." The nanites in Tony's helmet melted away, exposing a face creased in worry as he awaited Pepper's reply. He continued to take in the ship around him.

  "Tell me you're not on that ship."

  Tony let out an agonized sigh. Pepper got him. She knew him. And even though Pepper had asked the question, both of them knew the answer. He wouldn't be Tony if he weren't on this ship.

  "Yeah:" he choked out: hating how that one simple word would hurt the only person he'd ever truly loved.

  "God, no, please tell me you're not on the ship." Once again, their words entwined and threaded and wrapped around each other's. Even now, they spoke over each other, finishing each other's sentences.

  "Honey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what to say, I should—" He wanted to ease her pain, but he knew the only thing that'd do that would be leaving this ship and returning to New York. And he couldn't do that. He wouldn't do that.

  "Come back here, Tony. I swear to God. Come back here right now."

  "Pep—"

  "Come back." Tony listened, frozen.

  "Boss, we're losing her. I'm going, too." FRIDAY'S voice, and then the call, cut out. Pepper was gone, and he knew that she would be haunted by his absence until he talked to her again...saw her again. That meant he had to do what he'd come to do, and fast.

  Unknown to Iron Man, it would take more than a parachute to stop Peter Parker from helping less bad thmgs happen. Having detached the chute issued by FRIDAY, Spider-Man was crawling hand over hand on the webbmg attached to the vessel.

  "Oh, my God," he panted as he managed to flip in through one of the spaceship's emergency doors. "Oh, I shoulda stayed on the bus," Peter muttered, looking down onto Earth far below. The ship's doors closed.

  Standing at the controls. Ebony Maw entered coordinates and smiled. He turned, knowing his father would be pleased. The mystic was on his way to Titan, where Thanos would be able to retrieve the Time Stone.

  In a flash of light, the circular ship hit hvperspace and vanished into the far reaches of the galaxy.

  Miles below, Bruce Banner and Wong stood m the streets of Manhattan, wreckage surroundmg them. They watched helplessly as the ship vanished from orbit. Sighing heavily, Wong opened a portal to the Sanctum Sanctorum, stepped through, and began to ascend the crumbling stairs.

  "Where are you going?" Bruce asked.

  "The Time Stone has been taken," Wong sighed. "The Sanctum remains unguarded." Wong's voice was heavy with responsibility. Bruce noticed it was tinged with sadness. "What will you do?" asked Wong.

  Before Bruce could answer, something caught his eye in the rubble: Tony's flip phone. He opened it and, miraculously, it powered on. Steve Rogers remained the only contact in the phone.

  Lifting it to his ear, Bruce looked at Wong with a glimmer of hope entering his eye for the first time in years.

  gonna make a call

  Light-years away, a sleek orange-and-silver ship sliced through space, some of Earth's classic hits from the 1970s and 1980s filling the cabin, its highly eclectic crew smging along.

  The Guardians' ship.

  The crew: The Guardians of the Galaxy.

  Nowhere else m the galaxy could you find Star-Lord, a shifty half human raised by pirates; Gamora, a lethal green-skinned warrior raised by Thanos; Mantis, a guileless empath with antennae perched atop her head; Drax, a matter-of-fact muscular alien with intricate tattoos; Groot, a rebellious prepubescent sentient sapling; and Rocket, a foul-mouthed, genetically modified, raccoon-looking creature; all banded together to save the galaxy (and maybe plunder a few leftovers).

  "Why are we doing this again?" yawned Rocket, in reference to their current mission.

  Still boppmg her head to the music, Gamora glanced back at the ship's copilot. "It's a distress signal, Rocket," she reasoned. "Someone could be dying."

  Rocket rolled his eyes. "I get that, but why are we doing it?"

  Peter Quill looked to Gamora. He always looked to Gamora when his virtue was being tested. And not because her moral compass was forged in a life defined by perfect ethical uprightness, but because it was forged amid a life used as a weapon to spread fear, destruction, and bloodshed at the hands of her adoptive father, Thanos. She'd seen every corner of darkness one could imagine, and that she survived with any shred of humanity still mtact was a miracle that even Peter Quill could bow down to.

  What Gamora and Peter felt for each other—although neither would admit it—went beyond any land of romantic love, although there was that, too. What they found m each other was their correspondmg puzzle piece of brokenness. All of their imperfections, everything they'd been ashamed of, was perfectly cut to fit the other, rendering each one whole at last.

  With each other, they belonged. Finally.

  But, even with all that, Peter could still, you know, push the boundaries just a little. From time to time. Gamora would understand. (No, she wouldn't.)

  "Because we're nice," Peter said, his voice strong and clear. He loved feeling good and proud about his newfound decency. Rocket—less galvanized by whatever this faux-decency was—rolled his eyes, not believing Peter's Good Samaritan act for a second. "And maybe whoever it is will give us a little cheddar cheese for our effort."

  "Which isn't the point," Gamora reminded him without turning.

  "Which isn't the point," Peter repeated, his voice properly grandiose so everyone could hear just how much he truly believed that this wasn't, in fact, the pomt. And then he continued, but really just as an aside, "I mean, if he doesn't pony up..."

  "We'll take his ship," Drax said, his voice low and matter-of-fact. Gamora shot him a look.

  "Exactly," Rocket said.

  "B-b-b-b-bingo!" Peter said emphatically.

  "All right!" Gamora looked back at Quill in exasperation. He waved her off as if all of this was just big talk and they weren't actually going to take anyone's ship.

  The wordless interaction between the couple took only a few seconds, but the intimacy required to have such unspoken communication had been years in the making. And what they'd built had begun to enter totally new territory. After a lifetime of both Gamora and Quill bemg burned and disappointed by those who'd promised all of their abuses were just extensions and
representations of love, they had finally found someone they trusted, where love didn't have to automatically equate to hurt.

  "We are arriving," Mantis said. Her pitch-black eyes widened.

  "All right, Guardians, don't forget this might be dangerous, so let's put on our mean faces," Quill announced.

  Behind him, Mantis bared her teeth m an imitation of a roar that was more adorable than it was mean or intimidating. The electronic bleeps of a video game cut through the stillness of the ship's cockpit. All eyes turned to Groot, who had grown to the size of a teenager smce their encounter with Ego. Apparently, so had his attitude. One leglike branch was slung over the arm of his chair, his attention focused on the handheld game he was playing.

  Quill gritted his teeth, a familiar argument brewing. "Groot, put that thmg away now. I don't wanna tell you again." A beeping sequence filled the ship as Groot went right along with what he was domg as if Quill hadn't spoken at all. "Groot." Quill's voice became more serious.

  Without lookmg up, Groot made a face and sneered, "I am Groot." The entire crew erupted in shock.

  "Whoa!" Quill bellowed.

  "Hey! Language!" Rocket scolded.

  "Hey!" Gamora warned.

  "Wow," said Drax. Groot gave a derisive grunt in response, turning back to his game.

  "You got some acorns on you, kid," Quill said, leaning back to get a better look at the rebellious Groot.

  "Ever since you got a little sap, you're a total brat." Rocket growled, getting more and more riled up by the second. He lifted himself out of his chair, turned around, and pointed a paw at his impertinent charge. "Now, keep it up and I'm gonna smash that thing to pieces," Rocket threatened.

  The argument was cut short by a tiny gasp from Mantis, who pointed to the window of the cockpit. "What happened?"

  Through the glass they saw the utter destruction of the Statesman. Wreckage, bent metal, lifeless bodies, all floating in deep space. Alone and forgotten. Left to never be discovered.

  "Oh my God," Quill whispered in horror. The crew remained in hushed, reverent silence.

  Until...

  "Looks like we're not getting paid," Rocket said, about to turn the ship around. WHAM!

  Something, or rather someone, slammed mto the cockpit window. The man's body splayed across the glass. Inside, the Guardians tried to regain their composure, and failed. "Whoa!" Gamora and Drax exclaimed simultaneously. "Ew! Wipers, wipers! Get it off!" Rocket exclaimed. "Oooh!" Mantis squeaked at the sight.

  Quill leaned in to look closer, oddly calm. He quickly jumped back as the man's one good eye snapped open. "How the hell is this dude still alive?"

  Quill spoke the question on everyone's mind as they looked at the Asgardian breathing shallowly on the table in their common room. It had taken four of them just to reel him mto the Guardians' ship and all of them to put him where he now rested.

  "He is not a dude," Drax said reverently. Pointing at Quill: "You 're a dude." Focusing back on Thor: Drax continued, "This is a man. A handsome, muscular man/ "I'm muscular," Quill said, affronted.

  "Who are you kidding. Quill? You're one sandwich away from fat," Rocket said with his usual tact. "Yeah, right," Quill joked, pushmg Rocket's words away easily.

  "It's true. Quill," Drax said in his standard matter-of-fact tone, and Quill bristled. "You have put on weight."

  "What?" Quill was reeling. Drax motioned to his chin and stomach region as Quill looked on in horror. Quill turned to the one person he trusted to tell him the truth no matter what.

  "Gamora, do you think I'm..." Gamora couldn't look at Quill. Her avoidance was all the confirmation that he needed. He stood open-mouthed as Mantis laid her hands on the sides of Thor's head. She instantly reeled but did not break contact.

  "He is anxious... angry." Mantis went deeper into Thor's psyche, her eyes widening as she soaked up the full depths of his subconscious emotions. "He feels tremendous loss and guilt." Drax gaped, still transfixed by the man's physique. "It's like a pirate had a baby with an angel."

  "Wow. This is a real wake-up call for me. Okay. I'm gonna get a Bowflex. I'm gonna commit. I'm gonna get some dumbbells," vowed Quill.

  "You know you can't eat dumbbells, right?" Rocket mocked as Gamora picked up the man's left arm, scanning its musculature with unadulterated awe.

  "It's like his muscles are made of Cotati metal fibers," Gamora said, her voice dripping with admiration.

  That was it. Peter Quill had had enough. "Stop massaging his muscles." Gamora "obediently" let Thor's arm drop. Quill turned his attention to Mantis. "Wake him up." Mantis leaned in and whispered a single word: "Wake."

  Chaos erupted as the man lunged up and off the table, roaring. The Guardians all reached for their weapons. Then, the adrenaline rush faded and the man fell forward, bracing himself against the side of the ship. Breathless and skeptical, the man turned to face the Guardians, glowermg. "Who the hell are you guys?"

  Gamora knew this day would come. She'd been haunted by it her whole life.

  "The entire time I knew Thanos he only ever had one goal. To bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life," Gamora began. She stared out the window of the ship as she spoke, unable to look at the people she'd come to care for even though they knew every part of her sordid tale by now. "He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre."

  "Including my own," Drax said, his voice lost in the pain of the past.

  Gamora's voice grew dire. "If he gets all six Infinity Stones, he can do it with the snap of his fingers, like this." She punctuated her words with a snap of her own. "You seem to know a great deal about Thanos," the man, revealed as Thor Odmson, King of Asgard, commented, his tone questioning. "Gamora is the daughter of Thanos," Drax said helpfully.

  Thor's face darkened as he studied her anew. Gamora hung her head. When would she be free of this all-encompassing shame? When would she finally be free of Thanos? Would she ever? "Your father killed ray brother," Thor snarled, standing to confront her.

  "Oh, boy.' Rocket wasn't sure if he should get between them or move out of the way. He chose to move far away.

  Quill, on the other hand, tried to defuse the situation. "Stepfather, actually." Thor was now within a foot of Gamora, his face no less thunderous than a moment prior. "And she hates him as much as you do." Peter spoke as fast as he could.

  Thor came to a stop in front of Gamora. The ship was silent. Gamora looked up at him, her chin high and defiant. She looked him straight in the eye and readied herself for the onslaught.

  Thor placed his hand on Gamora's shoulder. "Families can be tough." Gamora eyed his mitt of a hand on her shoulder. "Before my father died, he told me that I had a half sister that he imprisoned in Hell. And then she returned home and stabbed me m the eye." Thor tightened his hold on Gamora's shoulder, much to Quill's displeasure. "So I had to kill her. That's life, though, isn't it? I guess. Goes 'round and 'round and...I feel your pain." Quill stepped out from behmd Gamora and walked over closer to Thor.

  "I feel your pain, as well." Quill stepped in between Thor and Gamora. "Because, I mean, it's not a competition, but I've been through a lot." Gamora rolled her eyes and walked away, not wanting to play into Quill's childish jealousies. Thor loudly slurped the soup that the Guardians had given him as Quill continued to ramble. "My father killed my mother and then I had to kill my father. That was hard. Probably even harder than having to kill a sister. Plus, I came out with both of my eyes, which was..."

  Suddenly realizing what was m his hand, Thor held up the utensil, interrupting Quill. "I need a hammer, not a spoon." Thor walked to one of the ship's hanger bays. Inside was a long-range pod, perfect for his needs. He started to mash the buttons on the controls. "How do I open this? Is it some sort of a.. .F-four-digit code, maybe, uh, maybe a birth date or...?"

  "What are you doing?" Rocket demanded.

  "Taking your pod," Thor answered, as though the question was a silly one.

  "No, you're not," Quill said, step
pmg toward Thor. His voice was lowered and regal, in a sort of mash-up of half-authoritarian tone and half-attempted Asgardian accent. "You will not be taking our pod today, sir." "Uh...Quill, are you making your voice deeper?" Rocket asked.

  "No."

  "You are. You're imitating the god-man. It's weird." "No, I'm not."

  "He just did it again!" Mantis gasped.

  "This is ray voice," Quill said in what was definitely not his voice. Thor stepped down with a heavy thud m front of Quill. The two men squared off.

  "You mocking me?" Thor asked.

  "Are you mocking me?" Quill retorted, mocking him.

  "S-stop it. You just, you did it again."

  "He's trying to copy me," Quill said, turning to his crew.

  "I need you to stop doing that," Thor said, his voice a low growl.

  "Enough!" Gamora yelled, in disbelief that she had to discipline two seemingly grown men who should understand how dire their circumstances were. "He was domg it first," Thor said, needing Gamora to understand how not his fault this whole situation was.

  "We need to stop Thanos," Gamora redirected. Thor gave a final glance toward Quill as he continued on toward Gamora. "Which means we need to figure out where he's going next.' "Knowhere." Thor was stating a fact. Knowhere was a deep corner of space known by few. The Guardians were counted among those few. "He must be going somewhere/' Mantis stated obviously.

  "No, no. Knowhere? It's a place. We've been there. It sucks," Quill told Mantis as Thor dug through the Guardians' pantry. "Excuse me, that's our food." It was one thing to gift the guy a bowl of soup, but Quill wasn't about to let Thor eat them out of house and ship.

  "Not anymore," Thor said, ignoring Quill and examining the parcels.

  "Thor, why would he go to Knowhere?" Gamora asked, her voice laced with dread.

  "Because for years the Reality Stone has been safely stored there by a man called the Collector."

  The Guardians knew the Collector and this information made their stomachs drop.

  "If it's with the Collector, then it's not safe. Only an idiot would give that man a Stone," Quill said, growing more and more angry. "Or a genius," Thor said.