The Beginning of the End (Allyson)

Chapter 9

        "Is he under?" Tony asked.

        "Don't let up."

        "He quick. He is very strong." I took a glance at the large, threatening presence for a moment, before reaching over and snatching one of Peter's blasters from his hand.

        "Wha-- Allyson?" I blocked him out and took determined steps toward Thanos.

        "Parker, help! Get over here!" He rushed to Tony's side. "She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."

        "We gotta open his fingers to get it off." I planted my feet firmly beneath me as I stared into the vacant gaze of the murderer.

        "I thought you'd be hard to catch," I taunted. "For the record, this was our plan."

        "My plan," Peter corrected from far away.

        "Whatever." I waved my hand at him dismissively, trying to bring myself back into that place of anger. "You're not so strong now, huh?" I paused for a second, attempting to ignore the uncomfortable twisting of my gut. "Where is Gamora?"

        "My Gamora..." he whispered.

        "No, bullshit!" I got in closer to his face. "Where is she?" He said nothing more, testing my last ounce of patience.

        "He is in anguish."

        "Good," I spat as he let out another pained groan.

        "He... He mourns." I continued to snarl at him, until it all began to sink in. As a sense of dread overwhelmed me, I shook my head back and forth.

        "What does this monster have to mourn?" Drax shouted.

        "Gamora." My eyes flashed over to Nebula.

        "What?"

        "He took her to Vormir," she calmly explained. "He came back with the Soul Stone." My eyes darted down to the gauntlet, now seeing a fragile piece of orange, almost looking like amber, resting between the red and blue. "But she didn't."

        I froze. She wouldn't come back alive... That must have been what she was hiding from me; what she didn't want me to know because I could be killed.

        Gamora had died... for that?!

        "Okay, Allyson, you gotta cool it right now." I heard Tony's voice as a distant echo. "You understand?"  Don't don't. Don't engage. We almost got this off!"

        I felt nothing as I turned to look at the titan again. My heart, my lungs, my gut... everything was numb.

        "Tell me she's lying," I managed to beg. He gave no response as tears began to prick my eyes, completely wiping my already blurred vision. "Asshole, tell me you didn't do it!" I shouted as my throat constricted.

        "I... had... to..." Biting, screaming anger replaced numbness.

        "No, you didn't." I reeled back my hand and punched him square in the cheek, wanting to make him feel the pain I did. "No, you didn't!"

        "Allyson!" I punched again, causing the surface of the skin to break. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop!" I felt someone grab my arm and try to pull it away. "Stop!" I managed to pull away from Tony and hit Thanos again. "Hey, stop! Stop!"

        "It's coming, it's coming. I got it, I got it!"

        Just as Peter Parker managed to pull the gauntlet away, Thanos snapped out of his trance and immediately threw Mantis off, reaching for his prized possession, the thing he'd killed loved ones for.