The Guardians ship- the Benatar- was quite accustomed to arguing. Very rarely was there a day in which there was no conflict between any of the ships inhabitants- most likely initiated by Rocket. However the yelling and frustration that filled the air on the Benatar as Thor, Loki, Bruce and Valkyrie returned from their excursion, Reality Stone in hand, was different.

As the team stepped out of the Asgardian craft and into the docking bay, they could hear distinctly several voices locked in heated debate, not screaming at one another but nearing it. Thor and Loki started immediately toward the noise, and Valkyrie and Bruce stepped after them, exchanging glances. The layout of the ship was simplistic in design, and it was not long until the group emerged into the central hub of the ship, just outside the cockpit. When they entered the room, the guardians fell quiet.

"What is going on?" Thor asked, staring intently over their faces. In his hands, the Reality Stone lay locked in an orb similar to that which held the Power Stone. In surveying the room, Thor could see that each mission had been successful, as a large metal cube of undoubtedly alien origin lay prone on a table, likely holding the Reality Stone inside, and the angry blue cyborg that Naomi's team had gone to rescue was standing in the room's center. The guardians did not answer his question however, as they exchanged cautious looks with each other. The blue woman- Nebula- glared at the group distastefully.

"Where is Naomi?" Loki demanded suddenly, having noticed that the brunette was missing from the room. Noticeably, Gamora tensed at the question. Loki's attention locked onto her, analyzing her face with intensity. Gamora, however, refused to cave under the pressure.

"She left." Nebula spat. Clearly, the woman harbored some resentment toward Naomi, and was unafraid to show it in front of her known allies. Loki stepped toward Nebula with a dark expression, however he was immediately yanked backward by Thor.

"You're lying!" Loki seethed. Nebula shifted into a battle stance, and with a flick, small blades emerged from slits in the metal just above her wrist. Loki countered with blades of his own, summoned out of thin air with his magic. With calls for both parties to calm down, Thor handed the orb off to Bruce, and firmly grasped Loki's arms, forcing him to keep the knives angled down at his sides. Loki allowed himself to be restrained, but the hatred in his eyes remained stagnant.

"Where is Naomi?" Bruce stepped forward, one hand out in front of him in a diplomatic gesture, the other clutching the reality stone securely to his chest. He kept his tone polite, but one could notice the fear in his voice if they listened well. Valkyrie hovered near the scientist, acutely aware of the tense atmosphere. Her hand rested on the pommel of the sword fastened to her hip, and appeared to send a message to the guardians not to try anything.

"She left with Thanos." Gamora revealed, her voice and face equally stoic. "Willingly."

"Thanos was here!?" Loki gasped, posture falling slack. His knives clattered to the floor. Thor kept his hands on his brother's arms, not out of caution, but out of support.

"She's leading him straight to the Soul Stone." Peter grunted, stepping forward next to Gamora.

"I'm sure that she isn't, okay?" Bruce mediated. As he spoke, he slowly walked into the center of the room, into the space that divided the two groups. However as he inched closer to the guardians, Valkyrie reached out and, keeping one hand on her sword, pulled Bruce closer to her, Thor and Loki. The act signaled the strain in the air, and the present danger of a fight breaking out. "Let's just figure this out-" Bruce continued, but was cut off by a crude remark from Rocket.

"You had a dirty prophet, okay? So are we getting paid now, or later?" The raccoon implored, carelessly glossing over Naomi's disappearance. Rocket was quickly shushed by Peter, but the damage had already been done. Bruce and Valkyrie's heads snapped toward the God of Mischief as Thor's grip on the man tightened. The silence was palpable.

"Thor." Loki hissed. "Let me go." Thor's response was only to pull against Loki, attempting to drag him away from the offending rodent. The God of Thunder could not see his brothers face, but the underlying rage in his voice and the tension in his body conveyed an emotion that Thor had only seen on Loki a select few times.

"Brother." He whispered under his breath, hoping that Loki would not do something drastic as a response. From the floor, the daggers flew back into Loki's fists, and the guardians all reached for a weapon. From the back of the room, Drax muscled his way to the forefront, his fists empty but clenched all the same.

"I do not fear the green man." Drax announced, crudely referring to Loki base on his outfit choice. "No offense, Gamora."

"The audacity of you people." Loki cursed, eyes ablaze with anguish and disbelief. "She placed her trust in you..." He took a ragged breath. Valkyrie drew out her sword and pulled Bruce behind her. "AND YOU PAWNED HER OFF TO THANOS AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY!" Loki roared, breaking away from Thor as three identical clones separated from him, each bearing knives and wild expressions.

"Wait!" Gamora exclaimed, her sword at the ready but her free hand extended in a peaceful gesture. "Wait."

Loki halted in his attack, each clone slowly turning its head toward her in unison. All four expressions dared her to speak about Naomi, promising that his rage would be unrelenting if she slandered the woman's name now.

"I trust Naomi." Gamora declared boldly, earning her several incredulous stares from her own teammates. "She went with Thanos in my place." The Loki's sucked in a breath, all turning fully towards Gamora.

"You condemned her, so that you could live?" Loki questioned, the three clones disappearing. His grievance was personal now, Gamora being the sole recipient of his fury.

"She told me things-" Gamora began to explain, lowering her sword.

"She told everyone things." Valkyrie interrupted, pointedly keeping her own blade unsheathed and prepared for action. Gamora hesitated for a moment, sensing the desperation of the situation. Beside her, Peter mumbled 'Gamora?' under his breath.

"Naomi made it clear that if Thanos found us, I should let her go with him." She countered, glancing over the prophet's teammates warily. It was clear that they had not been informed of this.

"What?" Bruce asked, nervously handing off the Reality Stone to Thor.

"When I spoke to her alone, she said that if Thanos took me to the Stone, he would win." The green woman explained. The look on Loki's face shifted, fell from its anger. Slowly, he stalked toward Gamora. Peter tried to step in front, to defend her, but she simply shoved him out of the way and allowed Loki to approach. His hands were still wrapped around the daggers, just as Gamora still held her sword, but neither moved to attack. Loki's expression was quieter, and though hints of anger lingered, his eyes filled with unwilling pain. It was with great effort that Loki spoke.

"How... how would he win?" He demanded, lips pressed tight and eyes wide. Seeing the man before her brought to such anguish, Gamora suddenly despised her decision to allow Thanos to steal Naomi away. But she could not change the past.

"She said that he would kill me." Gamora said. The room took a collective intake of breath at the harrowing revelation, but Gamora hardly heard them. She couldn't stand to tear her attention away from the God standing before her. The expression on Loki's face was devastating.