The Beginning of the End (Allyson)

Chapter 2

This one's for you, Stan Lee... May you rest on peace...

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"The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal."

We all kept our eyes on Gamora as she stared out the window. Thor, the name of the man we'd rescued, told us everything- about his home, Asgard, and how Thanos came and destroyed the ship of his people in the blink of an eye, killing everyone. Now, he had two Infinity Stones, which was wildly dangerous. We'd given him a blanket and some soup to help him feel better, though he still refused to say much.

"To bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people, planet by planet, massacre by massacre. Including my own." My heart softened as she crossed the room. Gamora had opened up to me in the past, but her father was a sore spot, so I'd tended to avoid the subject. "If he gets all six Infinity Stones... he can do it with the snap of his fingers like this." She demonstrated with a harsh, piercing snap.

"You seem to know a great deal about Thanos," Thor interjected, his voice still a low, grieving growl. A few of us looked around at each other, knowing it probably wouldn't be wise to let him know why. Drax, however, didn't pick up on the signals we were sending to each other.

"Gamora is the daughter of Thanos."

The spoon clinked down in Thor's bowl, and his eye slowly drew itself up to Gamora, filled with an unmatchable fury.

"Your father killed my brother." He stood abruptly, slamming the bowl down on the armrest of the chair we'd sat him on, storming closer to Gamora.

"Oh, boy."

"Stepfather, technically," I informed him, attempting to diffuse the situation. "And she hates him as much as you do."

I physically tensed as he loomed over her, but as soon as his hand clapped down on her shoulder, I felt my muscles relax. Still, I couldn't admit to not being confused.

"Families can be tough. Before my father died, he told me that I had a half-sister... that he imprisoned in Hel. And then she returned home and stabbed me in the eye. So I had to kill her. That's life though, isn't it, I guess. Goes round and round and..."

I snickered, crossing my arms and looking at the floor.

"Tell me about it."

Thor looked over at me, seeming confused I'd been able to speak up. He glanced from Gamora to myself, almost asking her if it was safe to inquire, before addressing me.

"What do you mean?"

"I... my parents sold me for drug money and then just abandoned me to be experimented on. That's how I can do this." I stretched my arm out behind me and grabbed the bowl he'd been using from across the room. "But, I've also pretty much been scarred for life from it. I could never forgive them, if I saw them."

Thor remained silent for a few moments, before placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him with a raised brow as Peter crossed the room, coming closer to us.

"I feel your pain."

"I feel your pain as well," Peter interjected awkwardly, attempting to move Thor's hand from me, "because... I mean, it's not a competition, but I've been through a lot. My father killed my mother. And then I had to kill my father. That was hard." I heard Rocket sigh from nearby. "Probably even harder than having to kill a sister. Plus, I came out with both my eyes, which..." He now noticed Thor was holding up his spoon and appeared to be contemplating its existence.