Ego's ship settled onto the Missouri soil with an eerie silence. He strode out, his face a mask of cold fury, and marched to the spot where his seedling had been planted. All that remained was a dark, empty hole in the ground. After Wanda had destroyed the rhizome, she had also taken the time to fill the subterranean passage with earth and rock.
"Damn it all!" Ego snarled, his expression twisting with rage. He viciously kicked at the loose dirt, his composure finally cracking.
After venting his frustration, he calmed himself, took another seed from within his coat, and prepared to plant it again.
Just then, Tony landed before him in the Mark 15 armor, every weapon system humming to life. "Hey there, Celestial-in-a-box!" he called out. "If I were you, I'd put that little plant back in my pocket before you try to do something... weird... to our planet."
Ego's eyes narrowed. A shimmering blue energy flared to life around him before lashing out like a spear aimed straight at Tony.
Tony dodged, his repulsors firing to propel him sideways as he unleashed a swarm of micro-missiles that screamed toward Ego's position.
[On Ego's planet, Mantis stared into the serene ponds. She could see no outward sign of sadness on Drax's face, but her empathic abilities allowed her to feel the crushing grief hidden deep within his heart, alongside a fierce, protective love for his new friends.]
[Drax paid her no mind, simply letting out a quiet sigh.]
[Mantis could feel the inherent kindness in him, just as she had felt so many other new and wonderful emotions from Star-Lord and the others. After a moment of hesitation, her expression became deadly serious. "Drax," she began, turning to face him fully, "there is something I must tell you."]
[Just as the words left her mouth, the palace door slid open behind them. They both turned to see Gamora striding out.]
[Mantis immediately spun away. Gamora's sharp eyes caught the flicker of guilt on the empath's face, and her own gaze narrowed in suspicion.]
[She looked at Drax. "What is going on here?"]
["This disgusting bug has become my new friend," he announced proudly.]
[Mantis lit up with excitement. "I have learned so much! I am a pet, and I am ugly!"]
[Gamora shook her head and shot Drax a glare. "You are not ugly. Drax!"]
["What are you talking about?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. To his people's standards, she was hideous. He gestured at her face. "Look at those antennae!"]
[Gamora ignored him, turning back to Mantis. "Mantis, can you show us to our quarters?"]
[The scene shifted, with Mantis now leading Gamora and Drax down a long, empty corridor.]
[Gamora asked, "Why are there no other living things on this planet?"]
["The planet is Ego," Mantis explained. "One does not invite fleas to live on one's back."]
["And you're not a flea?"]
["I am a flea with a purpose," Mantis said. "I help him sleep..."]
[Gamora could no longer contain her suspicion. She stepped in front of Mantis, blocking her path. "What were you about to tell Drax before I came out?"]
[Gamora had stopped just outside the door earlier, and her enhanced hearing had easily picked up Mantis's hushed, urgent tone.]
[The direct confrontation made Mantis shrink back. She instinctively glanced at Drax, then realized he couldn't have been the one to give her away.]
[She hesitated, then shook her head, trying to push past. "It was nothing! Your quarters are this way!"]
[Gamora read the fear on her face. Despite Mantis's attempt to hide it, Gamora knew with certainty that she was hiding a dangerous secret.]
[Drax watched her, his brow furrowed. He might be simple, but he wasn't a fool. His eyes narrowed slightly as he and Gamora continued to follow the nervous empath.]
The video on the screen continued to play, but Tony and the others on the ground had far more pressing concerns. The battle had erupted in seconds.
As Tony's missiles closed in, a frightened Mantis scrambled for cover. Ego didn't spare her a glance, instead condensing a whip-like tentacle of pure energy that lashed out and detonated the entire volley in a single, fiery explosion. More tentacles erupted from his back, striking at Tony. The Iron Man armor allowed him to evade the first few blows, but one finally connected, swatting him out of the sky.
Tony hit the ground hard but was back on his feet in a second, firing several high-intensity particle beams that blasted Ego's human form to pieces. Annoyed with maintaining such a delicate avatar, Ego simply dissolved into a swirling mass of raw energy.
The fight raged behind the old motel. Captain America, now armed with a pulse rifle from the ship, leaped down from the Milano to join the fray.
Meanwhile, Peter was frozen at the controls, his mind reeling. His father—the man he'd just met—was fighting the Avengers. He didn't know what to do, who to help.
Sensing his hesitation, Rocket shoved him aside. "Move it, humie!" He seized the controls, swooped the ship between the combatants, and blared over the external speakers, "Hey! Knock it off, both of ya, or I start blasting everything that moves!"
Tony used the opening to create some distance. Captain America ran to his side, rifle at the ready, as they both faced the swirling vortex of celestial energy. Ego didn't speak. As soon as Tony backed off, he began recalling his spaceship.
Suddenly, Mantis darted out from her hiding spot in the woods. "Don't let him take Quill!" she screamed, her voice filled with terror. "If he gets what he wants, everyone is in danger!"
"What?" Tony frowned, trying to process her warning.
Ego flew into a rage. "You dare betray me!" he bellowed. A tentacle of light shot from his form, smashing toward Mantis. Her pupils shrank, death rushing to meet her.
In a blue-and-white blur, a figure shot out from the side, snatching Mantis from the path of destruction an instant before impact. The figure skidded to a stop beside Tony, holding the trembling empath. It was Pietro.
Wanda hadn't come alone. When Captain America called, Pietro's curiosity had gotten the better of him. He'd zipped through the portal right behind his sister and arrived just in time to see Mantis in mortal danger.
"We can't let him leave!" Mantis pleaded, her face pale with fear.
Tony's eyes narrowed. He made his choice. "Full power!" he commanded his suit. A torrent of energy beams and projectiles blasted toward Ego. The celestial being morphed into a streak of blue-white light and shot into his ascending ship. The ship, now glowing with its master's power, immediately banked and dove straight for the Milano, weathering Tony's full assault.
Peter gasped, but before he could even react, Rocket had already yanked the controls, sending the Milano into a sharp roll to evade the collision while simultaneously opening fire with the ship's cannons.