The Girl Who Held the Universe in her Hands | marvel [1] ✔

TWO

CHAPTER TWO
' I'M GOING TO MAKE
HER HURT . '

Ash had pondered the question of how much she was worth a lot in her life. For the most part, it was the value of her presence and the toll it demanded of the universe. But Ash had to admit if she thought how much she was worth in money, it would not have been near the amount she, Rocket and Groot had acquired. Part of her was impressed, but the other was annoyed that she hadn't thought of the idea sooner. Sure, the first time Rocket and Groot delivered her to a client had been quite unsettling, but after the first time, they got better and better at it.

The money pilled up and up to the point where they decided they could put their efforts elsewhere, and when the trio needed to top up the cash, they could deliver Ash to someone willing to pay. Sometimes the cheques were so large Ash worried that her new company would ask questions but not once did they.

She liked it here, travelling aimlessly with two people who weren't concerned with who she was or saving the world. They only cared about having someone with more than four brain cells and a quick sum of money if needed. Ash found that she could be herself without judgement or suspicions, and God was it freeing.

Noah paid more frequent visits. She had noticed his absence during her time in Asgard. Her temper became shorter and her sarcasm louder. Yet, her loneliness revealed itself to her once he reappeared. She could have cried when his face materialised. Her new friends couldn't care if she seemed to talk to herself or a wall, she was Ash, and she made cracking good plans. Groot even became acquainted with Noah, not caring whether he was real.

"Xandarians," Rocket grumbled, gesturing with annoyance as they went about their day. Ash glanced at Noah, both of them wearing an identical look of 'here we go.' "What a bunch of losers. All of them in a big hurry to get from something stupid to nothing at all. Pathetic." Rocket looked towards a Xandarian man with short blond hair. "Look at this guy! Can you believe they call us criminals when he's assaulting us with that haircut?" The duo chuckled genuinely, and the response fueled racoon on. He pointed at a small Xandarian child clinging to his mother as he stepped awkwardly. "What is this thing? Look how it thinks it's so cool. It's not cool to get help! Walk by yourself, you little gargoyle!"

"Rocket-"

"-Look at Mr Smiles over here. Where's your wife, old man? What a class-A pervert." He let out a laugh to himself. "Right, Ash, Groot? Groot?" Ash and Rocket looked over to Groot, who hovered over a fountain, drinking its water. The three grimaced. "Don't drink fountain water, you idiot! That's disgusting!" Rocket scolded, causing Groot to look up. He shook his head in denial, wiping his mouth on his arm.

"Yes, you did," Ash replied. "We just saw you doing it. Why are you lying?"

Noah groaned quietly, dropping his head into his hands and beginning to massage it. "God, how are they not dead yet?"

"The same way we survived for as long as we did?" Ash offered.

"You know I was including you in the 'they,' right?"

"Hey! I'm the reason they're still alive!" Noah raised his eyebrow at her response, and Ash looked away, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rocket's tablet started to bleep in a warning. "Whoop! Looks like we got one. Okay, humie, how bad does someone wanna find you?" Ash leaned over the tablet showing a middle-aged man in - what Ash thought was - a strange suit, talking to a pink lady. "Forty thousand units? Groot, Ash, we're gonna be a whole lot richer!" They looked over at Groot, who was drinking from the fountain again.

"Groot!" she hollered, hands coming to sit on her hips as he turned with a guilty face. "Stop drinking fountain water! You're gonna get blight!"

He walked back to them, dragging his feet. "I am Groot," he mumbled in reply. Rocket jumped onto his shoulder to swat his head before climbing onto Ash's, and they started to make their way towards their target.

As they approached, a woman snatched an orb their target was holding and kicked him in the stomach. He threw a magnetic rope in retaliation, which wrapped around her legs, tripping her up. Rocket launched himself off her shoulder, and Ash ducked behind a wall as they ran.

Noah furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that-"

"-I'm going to kill her," Ash seethed, her eyes flashing black.

"Ash," Noah warned lowly, grabbing her shoulder tightly and pushing her against the wall.

"You're not gonna talk me out of it this time." Her eyes ripped away from Gamora, the harshness of her glare remaining as the air shifted to hold an unpredictability. "You would have still been here if-"

"-Don't you dare!" Noah shot back, grip tightening.

She shoved him back roughly, and he stumbled with it. "Why are you suddenly so saint-like? She killed you!"

"No, she didn't," Noah's voice became quieter, gaze falling to the ground. "You know that."

"But she isn't completely clean of your blood, is she?"

"And neither are you," he snapped, causing Ash to look away sharply. Her eyes flickered between two spots on the ground as she worked through his words, their harshness seeming to block her synapses. "You were raised with her, Ash. Why are you suddenly so vengeful?"

Ash was silent. "Because I loved you," she whispered, eyes flickering back to him, layered with moisture. "And I miss you more than I can ever feel anything else. I miss you so much that my mind created a false depiction of you just to cope with you not being here. I wanted to wake up every morning next to you. I still do. I loved you more than anything. I do now. And I always will." Ash looked back at the opening. "She ratted us out," she continued, voice hardening and the vulnerability falling from her gaze. "And I'm going to make her hurt like I do."

A black ball formed in her palm, and she reeled around, launching it at Gamora and throwing her off their target. She marched forward, not even acknowledging the body of their bounty, gaze locked on her. Her sister tried to punch her, but Ash caught it with her magic, wrenching it behind her back and throwing another ball into her spine.

Gamora kicked backwards, catching Ash's ankles, and causing her to stumble slightly. However, as she was about to continue her attack, Ash launched her hand sideways with all the force she could muster, and her sister flew limply across the floor. Ash hummed, and a dagger appeared in her hand, her irises blazing black.

Something shot at the ground at her feet, sending her flying backwards. Ash landed heavily on her back, a sharp cough escaping her. As she dragged herself to her feet, men and machines surrounded her, along with Noah, who vaulted to her side, his hands before him like approaching a wild animal. "Don't be stupid. You can't take them all."

A small canister appeared in front of her, purple gas exploding. The air poisoned her lungs before she could register it, and she dropped to her knees. Her hands wrapped around her throat, silently coughing and spluttering before she collapsed limply.