Disclaimer: I do not own Captain America or any other movie/series I might use for inspiration.
Alliances and Recruitment
"You are speaking to Medusa, Queen of the inhumans." A woman with the longest red hair Steve had ever seen, greeted with an air of self confidence that some might mistake for arrogance. She was beautiful, had narrow, straight features and was of slander build, wearing a long, purple garment that clearly belonged to a woman of royalty and prestige.
She was seated on a fancy looking chair, with a man Steve recognised as Karnak standing on her right side and a woman he recognised as Crystal standing on her left hand side. There was also a huge dog, Lockjaw it was called if Steve remembered correcty, the dog sitting next to Medusa's sister, Crystal, a young woman with a slander build and beautiful blonde hair, wearing black leather pants along with a yellow sleeveless top and black combat boots.
"It's nice to meet you, Queen Medusa. My name is Steve Rogers." Steve greeted with a respectful bow of the head.
"He claims to be Captain America, the great hero of earth's second world war." Gorgon quickly added.
He was holding Steve roughly by his elbow, having dragged him all the way here, after cuffing him of course, no way he was going to let some delusional stranger run amok inside the royal headquarters. He'd also told Triton to stay on guard duty at the door, as it would not only leave them vulnerable, but would look suspicious if both of them were gone, at least this way Triton could just claim Gorgon had gone for a toilet break or something if anyone asked.
"The resemblance is uncanny even I have to admit." Medusa said with a thoughtful expression.
"Come on! You do not honestly believe that do you, sister?" Crytsal asked incredulously. She is a beautiful young girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a yellow, sleevely top with black leather pants and equally black boots. She looked so young and innocent that Steve wondered if that youthful innocense wasn't one of her inhuman powers, besides her elemental manipulation of course.
"I'm merely acknowledging the resemblance. I didn't say that I believe him, although, I also didn't say that I don't believe him." Medusa retorted.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Crystal asked with a high dose of incredule in her tone.
"I believe the queen would like the so called Captain America to provide us with evidence that he really is who he says he...is..." Karnak trailed off as he watched Steve break the cuffs as if they were nothing but toothpicks, first pulling his arms apart to break them in the middle, and then using his right hand to break off the cuff on his left hand and vice versa, Gorgon all the while never letting go on his grip on the first of Earth's heroes, although he also didn't do anything to stop him from initiating and completing his demonstration.
"That proof enough for you?" Steve asked with a slightly cocky smirk plastered on his facial features.
"Yes, it's proof that you have superhuman strength, but is it proof that you are who you say you are?" Karnak asked rhetorically.
"Okay, which is more likely, that I'm a random look-alike who happens to have superhuman strength? That I'm a shapeshifter who also happens to have superhuman strength? Or that I really am who I say I am?" Steve asked rhetorically.
"Well, when you put it like that..." Karnak trailed off with a shrug of the shoulders.
"So what? We supposed to believe him now?" Crystal asked with another healthy dose of incredule.
"For now, yes. He hasn't neccessarily proven that he is who is says he is, and even if he was Captain America, it's been over fifty years since he was Captain America, people change, who's to say that he is still the same person he was back then? A lot can change in fifty years you know." Karnak explained patiently.
"So what the hell are we supposed to do about that? He can't prove he is Captain Ameica and we can't prove that he isn't, or if he is that he is still the same person? Where does that leave us?" Crystal asked in frustration.
"At the very least let us hear him out. I was told you wanted to speak to me, something about saving the inhuman race?" Medusa asked rhetorically.
"Actually I said I wanted to speak to the King about that." Steve said with a neutral tone.
"Anything you want to say to him you can say to me. We are the King's council, and I am the Queen."
"Exactly, you are the council and the Queen, but you are not the King. I will speak only to King Blackbolt. If he decides that you should be there to listen when I speak with him, then so be it." Steve said with a little steel in his tone of voice, Medusa reeling in surprise as she didn't expect that kind of response, the shock quickly disappearing as it was replaced by anger and pride.
"You do not make the rules here. You do not decide what happens and what doesn't!"
"Neither do you. That is Blackbolt's right, duty, and priveledge. Mam...eh...her highness, nothing you say or do will change the situation. You are not the King, and this is not a political issue. You can't talk your way out of this. I will speak with Blackbolt no matter what you think or decide. Inhuman supressors inhibit your fighting potential, and you don't have any weapons, but I am a living weapon and my powers cannot be supressed. Right now, I could easily take you all down and make my way to Blackbolt, the only reason I don't is out of respect for him, and by extention, for the Royal Family as a whole. So you decide, do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way...?" Steve trailed off menacingly.
"W-wow! Y-you're totally not what I expected. That was so badass!" Crystal said a little too loudly, eyes wide and mouth open wide in awe.
"Who's side are you on anyway!" Medusa said harshly.
"Y-yours of course! But..."
"But what?" Medusa asked angrily.
"He kind of has a point. Without our powers we don't stand a chance against him, even with them he wouldn't be easy to subdue if he's anything like what I've heard about him. Let's just get Blackbolt and get this over with. He is the King and anything to do with saving inhumans is something that he needs to hear." Crystal deadpanned.
"So you are on his side." Medusa said with narrowed eyes.
"Actually, I agree with her. Now if the King were to decide to leave this matter in our hands it would be another story entirely, but the fact is that he doesn't even know that Captain America is on the ship or that he is here to allegedly rescue us. He needs to know, and he needs to be the one who decides what to do about that information." Karnak interjected.
To say Medusa was livid would be an understatement. It wasn't that there was disrespect in Steve's tone, his words, or mannerisms, but rather, it was the total absence of neither respect nor disrespect in his tone that infuriated her to no end. It was as if she was completely irrelevant, a small existence that was inconsequential to him. No one had ever treated her like that before, not even the King himself. What made matters worse was that Karnak and Crystal, her highest ranking officers, were taking his side in the mattter, but most of all, she was really angry at herself, for feeling the way she did, and for being completely powerless to do anything about it.
"Okay fine! Do as you wish! But if this man harms even a hair on my husband's head, I will have all of your heads...even you, sister." Medusa said venomously.
"It won't come to that. I only wish to have a word with the King." Steve reassured.
"Fine. Crystal, be a dear and escort our guest to his highness." Medusa ordered pompously, Crystal resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her sister's behaviour, but nonetheless doing as she was told.
00000000000
"So, Cap, what's the plan? I mean, do you have escape pods ready for us or are you going to teleport us out of here or what?" Crystal asked curiously, deciding that some small talk with the legendary cap wouldn't do her any harm while she lead him to Blackbolt's quarters.
"Nothing of the sort. Escaping with everyone is next to impossible. The best course of action is to eliminate Kasius and his followers and take over the warship. I have already set things in motion, and I have recruited Auran to our cause."
"What! Are you some kind of idiot! How could you trust Maximus's traitorous whore?" Crystal exclaimed indignantly.
"Because that traitorous whore is, like all inhumans, just another one of Maximus's victims. She didn't know that Maximus was the reason the Kree found Attilan in the first place, or that everything he has done thus far has been for his own gain and not for the sake of Inhuman kind as he lead her and all of his followers to believe. You see the Kree created the inhumans by infusing their dna into you, and Maximus's terrigenesis turned him into a human. So if you really think about it..."
"Maximus had everything to gain by allowing himself to be captured by the Kree. He can get a new Kree dna infusion and undergo Terrigenesis again!" Crystal exclaimed as realisation dawned on her.
"Exactly." Steve said, impressed that the young princess was able to figure it out that fast.
"But you're assuming Auran didn't already know this. What if she knew all along and getting captured was just the first phase of their plan? Maybe they too intended to overthrow Kasius just like they did Blackbolt." Crystal asked warily.
"I listened to her heart beat, she was genuinely surprised when I told her." Steve retorted.
"And what if she was only surprised because you figured out their plans as opposed to what you're thinking?" Crystal asked skeptically.
"I suppose that's possible, but my gut instincts tell me otherwise. They have never failed me before, I have no reason to doubt them." Steve said with so much conviction that even the notoriously skeptic Crystal found herself becoming a believer.
"Well, I hope you're right. Anyway, here we are. Our King is meditating on the other side of that door. Goodluck." Crystal chirped.
"You're not coming in with me?" Steve asked curiously.
"I'll be right outside if the King needs me." Crystal retorted.
"..."
"On second thought, maybe I'll just come along...you know, to protect the King." Crystal said unconvincingly.
"From me?" Steve asked confusedly.
"Yeah, why not." Crystal said with a casual shrug of he shoulders, even though it was blatantly obviously that she just wanted an excuse to listen in on the conversation between the legendary Captain America and the king of Attilan.
"Okay, well, here goes nothing." Steve said as he slowly and cautiously entered Blackbolt's quarters.
0000000000
"..."
"..."
The staring contest must have lasted about an hour, at least that's how it felt to Crystal, the first thing Steve had done when he walked in being the same thing he did when she met him for the first time, that being to introduce himself as Captain America, who is here to save the inhuman race. Of course, such a statement would give anyone reason for pause, even moreso the King of the race that was to be saved.
"Captain America huh? That my wife, sister in law, and cousins would allow you to get this far into our quarters speaks volumes to me. They must truly believe that not only are you indeed Captain America, but that you bring genuine hope for our people." Blackbolt replied, Steve having to actively stop himself from flinching with every word that came out of the King of Attilan, having heard about his powers, of course the reason the entire ship wasn't blown to smitherines by the King's voice being the inhuman suppressor on his neck.
"Yes we do, all things considered. You should know though that he has already told Auran about his plans." Crystal replied, rolling her eyes in dismay, causing Blackbolt's head to snap in Steve's direction, Steve marveling at how the King was able to portray all of his thoughts and emotions in that moment with just the look on his expressive facial features.
"I've recruited Auran to the cause, by exposing your brother's treachery. You probably already suspected this, but he is the one who collapsed Attilan's barriers so that Kasius can breach your city. He infact is the one who gave away Attilan's location to them, so that he can gain access to Kree dna, and re-engineer the experiment that created inhumans in the first place. He did all this, for reasons you know all too well." Steve said with steel in his tone of voice.
"You're going to kill my brother aren't you? I didn't figure you to be an assassin, a soldier yes, but an assassin?" Blackbolt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"There are women and children's lives at stake, there's a whole species at stake. Weighed against all those lives, my reputation and moral intergrity is almost meaningless, if not ourtight meaningless." Steve retorted.
"You're a man of great character and resolve, I see that now, what makes you who you are...what makes you so special. You'd make a great King, Captain Rogers." Blackbolt said with great respect and admiration in his tone, Crystal surprised by her King's words as she had never heard him pay such a high compliment to anyone before.
"Thank you, your highness, but flattery is not going to save your people. I need to know that you're on board with the plan, to kill Kasius and his Kree followers, to expose and kill Maximus, and to relocate you and your people to earth." Steve deadpanned, much to both Crystal and Blackbolt's surprise.
"What! Are you out of your damn mind? You want us to live side by side with lowly humans?" Crystal exclaimed indignantly.
"In a way, yes. There are some serious threats out there in the universe, powerful alien races who, if they ever decided to invade earth, would destroy or conquer Earth's population with relative ease. Earth is fragile without its inhuman population. Having said that I undersand that you cannot blindly trust humans. That is why Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign will provide a world engine you can use to terraform your own country/mini continent on earth's oceans, and we already have a replica of Attilan ready to be transported to this location, except that this version is about 50 times bigger than the original Attilan. The replica is fitted with state of the art Sovereign technology and contains a protective barrier superior in size and power to the one the original Attilan had. You will be provided with weapons and military gear, basically everything you'll need to defend yourselves and to prevent infiltration into your mini-continent. You'll be safe, both from terrestrial and extra terrestrial threats." Steve explained in detail.
"And what is the price for all his generosity?" Blackbolt asked suspiciously.
"The undying fidelity of the inhuman race to the Sovereign. Should the Sovereign require, you will send your best soldiers to aid in war efforts and you will freely trade information and future technology that you may find or develop with the Sovereign. You will also host priestess Ayesha annually or at any time that she decides to visit Attilan, and these terms are eternally binding, from generation to generation of Kings." Steve explained.
"..."
"If I were you I would accept these terms. The Sovereign for the most part will leave you to your own devices. There will barely be any contact between the two nations and barely any interference." Steve elaborated.
"I accept your conditions." Blackbolt deadpanned.
"What! Seriously? Just like that? It's a slave deal, we're basically trading one master for another!" Crystal exclaimed indignantly.
"Would you prefer our current situation?" Blackbolt asked rhetorically.
"W-well! N-no...!" Crystal sputtered.
"Listen, Crystal. Right now, we are slaves in every sense of the word, and we have been stripped of all our powers and any autonomy. However, if we take this deal, we will have an entire continent of our own, we will have access to our powers, and we will be able to rebuild our community. The Sovereign are going above and beyond to help us in our time of need, isn't it fair that we extend to them the same curtousy should their time of need come? Isn't that better than having our brothers and sisters bred and sold off like livestock?" Blackbolt argued with logic and compassion mixed together.
"..."
"I...okay, when you put it like that then I guess you're right." Crystal said with a heavy sigh.
"Thank you for understanding. I trust you will stand by me as I attempt to convince the others?"
"Yes of course, my King." Crystal bowed respectfully.
"Very well, now, Captain Rogers, please let us in on your plan..."
00000000000
"I've never seen a human like you before on the ship. You must be from the latest batch of human strays we collected on earth a few months back. Sinara tells me you saved one of my servants during a food scuffle, displaying incredible fighting skills and amazing strength...for a mere human of course." Kasius said as he walked around Steve, who had been brought to Kasius's chambers to be questioned by Kasius himself.
'Great! I haven't even re-established contact with Tess yet and I've already gotten myself into trouble.' Steve thought with a mental roll of the eyes.
"I was only doing what I thought was the right thing to do. I hope I managed to make an impression." Steve replied casually.
"Oh, colour me impressed." Kasius retorted.
"Actually, sir, it wasn't you I was trying to impress." Steve said, his eyes resting on Sinara for a moment before quickly returning his gaze to Kasius, a look of surprise appearing on both Kasius and Sinara as they never, in a million years, expected that kind of response.
"You were trying to impress my general, and not me? Are you intentionally mocking me, or are you challenging my authortity? Either way I would tread lightly if I were you, it's not wise to offend the person who holds your life in his hands." Kasius warned, just barely keeping himself together as he was at the brink of being overcome with rage and jealousy.
"I meant you no offense at all, sir. It's just that I respect you too much to lie to you, either of you. I'm just an honest fool who is helplessly infatuated with your general. She has been at the forefront of my thoughts and emotions since I arrived here. I've never met or seen a woman like her anywhere, she drives me crazy. Perhaps I can freely speak out like this because I know I stand absolutely no chance with her. At best I could be her slave and serve beneath her feet, I would totally settle for that." Steve said as if he was talking with a friend about the day's weather, confusing Kasius to no end, the tyrant not knowing whether to be angry or amused by the sheer weight of the stupidity on display.
"Poor thing, your mother dropped you on your head when you were just a baby didn't she? Do you really think yourself worthy of even licking the dirt off her feet?" Kasius asked venomously.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. These feelings of mine, totally stupid right? I mean, I know for a fact I'm not worthy of even that, and yet..." Steve said as he looked at Sinara longingly.
"I suppose that's the nature of us humans. We want the things that we can't have." Steve said philosophically.
"Enough of this!" Kasius said irritably.
"Such a fine human specimen you are, flawless skin tone, majestic ocean blue eyes, muscles in all the right places and close to zero percent fat. I've never seen a human as good looking as you or as perfectly conditioned as you. You would have made such a fine servant." Kasius mused out loud.
"However, your loose tongue and callous manner of speaking, your lack of respect and thus lack of concern for your own wellbeing, makes you a very dangerous person. If I suffer your insolence, you will undoubtedly, eventually, publicly humiliate me, and if I continue to permit your behaviour, the respect and fear that the humans and inhumans have for me in this ship will wane, and I cannot allow that. It's such a pity, but I'm afraid you're going to have to die, and I don't even know your name..."Kasius trailed off as he gave Sinara a look, a look that she recognised all too well, as he only looked at her like that when he wanted her to execute someone, Sinara instinctively activating her orbs as they levitated off of her hands and began spinning rapidly around her.
"Do it! Do it now!" Kasius ordered hastily, wanting the deed to be done as soon as possible before he changed his mind, as the thought of having to prune back something so beautiful made him almost sick to the stomach...almost. Sinara did as instructed, or at least, wanted to, but couldn't bring herself to do it, her orbs stopping right in front of Steve, one in front of his nose and the other at the centre of his chest.
"Sinara what is the meaning of this? I ordered you to kill him!" Kasius said angrily.
"I know, but I find myself relishing the challenge of domesticating this untamed beast. I feel like if I kill him I will be forfeiting the challenge, like I will be losing something important." Sinara said as she walked seductively towards Steve, not intentionally but the way her body was perfecly structured, her angelic beauty and the sway of her perfect hips as she walked was such that she could seduce any man without even trying, at least that's how Steve felt in that moment.
"Kneel!" Sinara said forcefully, simulataneously manipulating her orbs to hit Steve at the back of the knees, forcing him to go down on his knees involuntarily.
"Now, lick the soles of my feet like the good little dog that you are." Sinara said with a sadistic smirk plastered on her facial features, grabbing Steve by his hair and forcing him head down towards her feet, Steve, without much protest, doing as instructed.
'Being a hero sure sucks sometimes. I'm doing all the dirty work here, literally.' Steve sighed internally.
"You see, the dog is tamed. I've always wanted to have a pet of my own. I just never found a decent enough one...until now that is." Sinara said with a sinister smirk plastered on her facial features, one that immediately disappeared when she saw the incredulous, furious, and jealous expression on Kasius's face.
"You don't get to do that. I've served you loyally for almost half a century now, I've loved you for almost half a century, and I've never asked for a single thing in return for my services. I've literally never asked anything from you, except for you to fulfill your promises to me, something which you have never done. You've had every opportunity to make us official, but you never even proposed, you've never even told me that you love me. All I've had in return are a countless number of slaps in the face every time you fornicate with your human servants, both male and female, while blatantly neglecting my needs and desires..."
"Sinara we can talk about this in priva...!"
"There's nothing to talk about. I want my own servant, I want this...what's your name, human?" Sinara asked, suddenly remembering that she didn't even know the name of her soon to be servant.
"Steve, my name is Steve." Captain Rogers replied enthusiastically, unable to believe how well his uninspired seduction attempt was working.
"Steve...yes, I want Steve to be my personal servant, it's about time I had one of my own don't you think?" Sinara said with a tone that was a little too sweet, calmly watching Kasius as he began pacing up and down, shoulders tense and fists clenched as he valiantly tried to supress the rage that was bubbling beneatch the surface.
"Sinara...Sinara Sinara Sinara...! You think I don't know what you're doing but I know exactly what you're doing. You're trying to hurt me, to hurt my feelings. This is revenge for..." Kasius trailed off as he was quickly interupted by his general.
"It's not revenge. It's me romantically detaching myself from you. You're my ward, and I'm your general, the best warrior you have, one of the best in the Kree Empire. That hasn't changed, and I still have every inention to fulfil our goals, but you and I are over. From now on, it's strictly business, and from now on, I expect to be afforded certain priviledges and benefits befitting of a person of my rank and the services that I provide...the protection that I provide."
"And if I say no?" Kasius asked defianty.
"Then find yoursef another general, and see how long you survive without me." Sinara said venomously.
'How fortunate. It would seem their bond was already heavily strained, at breaking point even. All it needed was a small tug of the string to make it snap. This is perfect, this will be easier than I thought.' Steve thought elatedly.
"Okay...! Fine! Do whatever you want! See if I care! You think you can replace me with a mere human slave? You've completely lost perspective Sinara, but you'll come back to your senses eventually, and when you do, I will personally execute that human trash for you." Kasius retorted.
"Hn, if he disappoints me I'll kill him myself." Sinara countered.
"Come doggy, let's get you cleaned up and get you a nice change of clothes." Sinara ordered, turning on her heals as she walked towards the exit, Steve following like the loyal servant that he is...for now, while Kasius was left fuming behind.
2 Months Later:
"Today is the day, today is the day that we finally free the inhumans. Today, we get rid of both of our greatest enemies. Today is a new day, a new beginning for inhumans, a new beginning for Attilan." Steve said as he walked back and forth in front of his proteges, students that he had been training for only three weeks now, but they had come so far in such a short time, having been passed on from Tye to him for training upon Sinara's suggestion, Tye having not made much progress with their training and preparation for their respective showcase fights.
Steve was wearing a black form fitting body suit with navy blue cargo pants on top and black combat boots. There were no weapons of any kind to be seen on him but that wasn't neccesary as he was the weapon himself. The two students standing at attention before him were two teens, one an ebony skinny male known as "Flint", and the other a caucasian female going by the name "Abby". They were both dressed in similar outfits to their mentor, except that they were wearing clothes on the upper body as well, both of them wearing black flak jackets on their upper bodies.
"So what's the plan sir? Isn't this the day of Lady Basha's arrival? You do know she's coming here to see us fight with the intention of buying us as her slave warriors right? I dunno about Abby but personally I'd like to see the inhuman race saved before I get sold into slavery." Flint retorted.
"Today is the perfect day for the rebellion. Kasius is too preoccupied with making preparations for Basha's arrival. Kasius is too concerned with appearances and making an impression when it comes to the highborn people of the Universe. He's too concerned with what others think about him. That is his ultimate weakness, a weakness that we will exploit to the fullest." Steve said with convinction.
"Okay, that makes sense, but we still don't know what the actual plan is, or what our roles in it are." Abby said anxiously.
"In a few moments phase one of the plan will commence. In 20 minutes sharp, Auran, and Flora, who has had her inhuman supressor de-activated, will proceed to assassinate Mordis, Sakas, Pulsus, and Maximus. Locus will remain on guard duty, watching the entrance to the circle of tranquility. They will then cremate their bodies, at which point phase two of the plan will commense." Steve explained, taking a moment to allow the information to sink in to his precious proteges.
"Okay, so far so good. It should be easy for Auran and Flora to finish the job since they have access to their powers and the others don't. What's phase two of the plan?" Flint asked excitedly.
"Phase two is that you have to wear these masks over here." Steve said as he pulled out two black face masks from his pockets.
"Phase two requires us to dress like ninjas?" Abby asked with a raised eyebrow.
"These masks don't only cover the lower half of your facial features. They may look like normal masks but this is state of the art air filftration technology. They will prevent you from inhaling the terrigen mist in the atmosphere and therefore from undergoing a second terrigenesis and turning into God knows what kind of abomination." Steve explained.
"Wait...what?" Flint asked incredulously.
"You might have noticed that I was wearing a similar mask for the last three and a half days. That is because I released a chemical compound into the oxygen filtration system three and a half days ago, a compound that discreetly mutates human dna, from human dna, to inhuman dna." Steve explained patiently.
"Wait...what?" Flint said again, Steve beginning to wonder if that was the only response he was going to get from him for the foreseeable future.
"The compound has no effect on Kree or inhumans, it only affects humans. In other words, I turned every human in the ship, bar myself, into an inhuman. I did this in order to eradicate segregation and xenophobia within the populace. New Attilan must be united, and to gaurantee that end result, my solution was to turn everyone into an inhuman." Steve replied patiently.
"Okay, I get that, it makes perfect sense, it also makes perfect sense for the procedure to take three and a half days if the changes have to occure without anyone taking notice. But doesn't this mean that Maximus is now also an inhuman? Won't that make it even harder to kill him?" Abby asked with concern.
"Correct. Even though he doesn't know it yet, and never will, he is now an inhuman again, which is why phase one of the plan requires the successful assassination of the false king. Phase two, as you might have figured out, is the release of terrigen mist into the ship's atmosphere. This will cause everyone in the warship, every inhuman that is, to undergo terrigenesis. All inhumans who have already undergone terrigenesis have been supplied with air filtration masks like the ones you now have. Everyone else will simultaneously undergo terrigenesis. That is phase 2."
"W-wow! That's so awesome! I almost wish I was a part of the mass terrigenesis orgy."
"Flint! D-don't say stuff like that! It's not...it's not an orgy, is it?" Abby asked innocently, Steve struggling to resist the urge to laugh out loud at the obsurdity of the question.
"No Abby, it's nothing of the sort." Steve said with a fatherly tone.
"In any case, during phase two I will be with Sinara, I will be trying to convince her to join me. I will finally reveal who I really am to her, with the hope that the bond she and I have formed is stronger than the one she has with Kasius, failing of which I will have to incapacitate her." Steve explained.
"Why not just kill her? Why try to convince her to join us? You really think she will betray her kind for us? She hates us." Flint said matter of factly.
"It's not that simple Flint. Sinara is one of the strongest Kree Warriors ever produced, probably top fifty ever and top five currently. Killing her won't be easy, even for Captain Rogers. The fact that there are romantic feelings between the two and they have been intimate for a while now makes it all the more difficult a battle. He will have to fight both her and himself in this battle. It would be much better for him to convince her to join our side." Abby reprimanded her sibling apprentice.
"Oh, I see. Damn, that sounds really hard." Flint said dejectedly.
"Don't worry Flint, I'll figure it out. You guys focus on your mission, to protect the civilians. They may have powers by that time but they will be sorely lacking in training. Your job is to protect them. The King and the Royal Guard, who have had their inhuman supressors de-activated, will be on the offense. They will focus on disposing of the Kree Warriors. Queen Medusa will aid you in the defense and protection of the civilians. Are there any questions?" Steve asked curiously.
"Just one. If Sinara refuses to join us, will you kill her or just capture her?" Flint asked curiously.
"You sound awefully concerned about her, more than I would have expected from you." Steve pointed out.
"You're my mentor, and she's your girlfriend, whatever happens to her will affect you." Flint replied.
"In other words he's worried about you, and quite frankly so am I." Abby added.
"She's...not exactly my girlfriend, I mean, it's complicated. I'm her slave basically."
"Do you love her?" Abby quickly asked.
"..."
"That's all that really matters isn't it? Not how the relationship started but what it is now. She stopped calling you doggy a long time ago, just days after she started, and she has pretty much given you free reign to do what you want and go wherever you want. She may not be consciously aware of it but she stopped seeing you as a slave and more as a partner and lover a long time ago. She's totally into you." Abby said with passion and sincerity.
"Wow, maybe I should let you talk to her." Steve retorted.
"No, you have to be the one to do it. And remember, despite how she feels about you, you would still be asking her to betray her kind, so don't expect too much okay. Hope for the best and plan for the worst, just like you taught us." Abby closed off.
"I'm glad you remember my lessons. However, I'm not asking her to betray her kind, she can still be loyal to the Kree Empire if she wishes just as I still am loyal to Earth despite my allegiance to the Sovereign. She just can't be loyal to Kasius."
"Oh! That...that actually makes a lot of sense." Flint said with realisation.
"Also, I'm not asking her to join the inhumans, I'm asking her to join me. When this whole ordeal is done, I'm going to beseech Priestess Ayesha to allow me to form my own taskforce, dedicated to peace in the Universe and helping out those in need, from any race, species, planet, or galaxy. If she accepts, Sinara will be my very first recruit."
"W-wow! So like, instead of Captain America you're going to be like Captain Galaxy or something." Flint said in awe.
"Or Captain Universe." Abby added.
"Yes, I like the sound of that, it has a nice ring to it." Steve said with his right hand on his chin.
20 Minutes Later
"It's time." Auran said to herself as she looked at the time on her watch, turning her head around to the right to look at Locus and Flora, who were watching the entrance to the False King's Headquarters, the two royal guards nodding to her in confirmation that they were ready to execute the plan, at which point Auran started walking from the entrance to the circle of tranquility, which she had been guarding, towards the entrance to the False King's headquarters, while Locus walked towards the doorway to the circle to take Auran's place, the two passing each other in the middle without saying a word to each other, solely focused on the mission now that the mission had begun.
"Did Locus manage to locate their positions?" Auran asked tensely.
"It's Locus, of course she did." Flora retorted.
"And?" Auran asked.
"Good news is that they're all in the same room, in the main lounge. Maximus is on the far end, facing towards the door. They are all seated and relaxed, with Mordis closest to Maximus and Sakas and Pulsus nearest to the door." Flora replied.
"Okay Good, it's simple. We enter, you attack at long range, go straight for Maximus and Mordis and incapacitate them. I'll handle Sakas and Pulsus." Auran ordered.
"Sounds like a good plan, except for the part where I merely incapacitate them. I thought our mission was to kill them?" Flora asked suspiciously.
"It is. But the king wants us to take Mordis alive if possible. He has...regrets about how Mordis was treated in the past. He believes Mordis deserves a second chance, and takes full responsibility for how he turned out. As for Maximus, I want either Mordis or I to be the one to deliver the killing blow, so keep them alive if possible, but if not, kill them." Auran ordered.
"You want Mordis to kill him?" Flora asked incredulously.
"To prove his allegiance. If he refuses to do it, we end him." Auran deadpanned.
"Okay, got it!" Flora said tensely.
"Okay, let's do this. Remember, act normal and relaxed, and then attack swiftly and unexpectedly." Auran ordered, Flora responding with a simple nod as she opened the door and went in first, followed by Auran.
"Auran, Flora...? What are you..."Maximus did not get the chance to finish asking the question as Flora, in an instant, extended both her arms, with her palms facing fowards, one aimed at Mordis, who was conveniently the closest to Maximus, and the other aimed at the false King, thick, green and brown vines shooting out of her palms and flying at incredible speeds towards the duo, the vines wrapping themselves around the two like gigantic snakes coiling around their prey, the two of them finding themselves incapacitated long before they could even move a muscle due to both the speed and the surprising nature of the attack, especially considering the fact that neither of them had any idea that Flora had access to her powers, or how exactly she had said access.
Flora wasn't taking any chances, making sure to double the vine wrapping and also taking care to use the vines to turn Mordis' head sideways, just in case he somehow too had access to his powers, as she did not feel like getting incinerated today. Auran on the other hand was also shocked by the sudden attack as she expected that they would play it cool for a while and not just attack immediately, perhaps she hadn't been clear enough to her friend and subordinate when she was issueing the instructions.
She was even more surprised when third vine shot out of Flora's ribcage, shot through her clothes, and came flying straight at her, Auran luckily enough, thanks to her insane inhuman reflexes, which were naturally at peak human for all inhumans, but hers further enhanced beyond peak human by the intense training she was able to do thanks to her quick healing and recovery, Auran was able to evade the Vines, jumping, dodging, and weaving until she was standing right next to the mamoth of a man known as Pulsus.
"Auran, what the hell is going on?" Pulsus asked tensely, still confused and wondering what the hell was going on.
"I have no idea myself. Flora and I came in to report an incident, and then all of a sudden she started attacking. I didn't expect her to ever attack me of all people. She's one of my two best friends, and we're supposed to be on the same side." Auran replied with a confused frown on her facial features.
"You actually have friends?" Pulsus asked incredulously.
"Auran! Kill the traitor...aaargh!" Maximus cried as Auran squeezed harder with her vines, the false king reeling in pain as he felt the most intense pressure he had ever felt on his body.
"Hush! You pathetic weasle! As for you, Auran, what the hell are you waiting for? Are you going to waste such a great strategic position?" Flora asked angrily, Auran's eyes widening in surprise as realisation dawned on her.
'She wasn't attacking me to kill or subdue me, she was intentionally pushing me towards Pulsus, at the same time getting him to drop his guard around me since, if I'm also under attack, then I can't possibly be the enemy. Flora, when did you become such a genius?' Auran thought with a proud and happy smile, the pride being at her friend's strategic aptitude and the joy, well, at the fact that she hadn't been betrayed by her dear friend after all.
"Auran, what is she talking ab...whoaargh!" Pulsus cried in shock as Auran effortesly picked him up, lifted him over the top of her head and brought him down at great speeds, smashing his back against her knee, shattering his virtabrae into tiny pieces of bone. She didn't waste time at all after breaking his back, proceeding to quickly snap his neck, effectively killing him right then and there.
As if they were able to read each other's minds, it was at the price moment of the snapping of Pulsus's head that another vine shot out of Flora, aimed towards Sakas's feet, forcing the acid spitting inhuman to jump away from the danger. His feet however did not make it back down to the floor as Auran, in the blink of an eye, was upon him, going in hard on him with a shoulder charge to the solar plexus, which sent him flying across the room and straight into a wall, the acid spitting inhuman losing consciousness almost immediately, followed by instant death as the vine that originally attacked him smashed through his chest and tore his heart out, along with his whole chest cavity.
"Two down, and two...maybe one to go." Auran said with a sadistic smirk directed at the false king, who looked like he wanted to cry for his momma at that precise moment.
"There's no time to play around unfortunately, we're on a time schedule." Flora said dejectedly.
"Yes, unfortunately for us, and fortunately for you, false king." Auran said venomously.
"This is totally weird. Auran, weren't you the so called false king's biggest supporter? I'm detecting some extremely blatant hypocricy radiating off of you." Mordis said with a calm and carefree tone.
"That was before I knew the false king was the one who contacted the Kree that invaded our city in the first place, or that he was actually the one who deactivated our barriers so that they can invade, all because he wanted some Kree dna and technology to turn himself into an inhuman again. I was a fool yes, and I lead my dear friends astray with me. But I have every intention of making amends for my sins, beginning with the assassination of the false king." Auran said spitefully.
"Ooooh! You've been a very bad boy Maximus. I knew you weren't a saint but I had no idea you were so evil. Sacrificing so many lives for your own personal gain? If I had known I think I would have killed you myself. You're no different to Blackbolt, in fact, I think you're far worse, and that should tell you something coming from me." Mordis said with a mental shake of the head, unable to actually shake it due to the strong and thick vines that were holding his head in a tight lock.
"Mordis, you still have a chance. There's a reason we have restrained you and not killed you at the first chance we got like we did Pulsus and Sakas. You see, Pulsus and Sakas knew all along about the false king's plan, they helped him at every step of the way. That's why we didn't hesitate to kill them. But you, we were ordered to bring you in alive if possible. King Blackbolt regrets the way he treated you in the past. He wants...he is asking you to please give him the opportunity to make things right. He knows he can't give you back the time that you have lost while locked away, but he hopes you will give him a second chance going forward. Regrettably, for the sake of the plan, in other words, for the sake of inhumanity, your acceptance is also the only thing that guarantees that you will keep your life as we cannot afford to have a wild card at a crucial point like this for the survival of the species. There are more lives at stake than yours, and there is more at stake than your relationship with Blackbolt. Based on your earlier words to Maximus, I know you understand this." Auran explained in detail.
"Yes, I understand very well. The lives of the many outweigh the lives of the few, or in this particular case, the life of one." Modus replied.
"So what will it be?" Auran asked impatiently.
"Fine, I'll help with the plan until we're all safe, but then, Blackbolt and I are going to have a serious exchange of words." Mordis said darkly.
"Good choice, but words alone are meaningless. Actions speak louder than words don't you think?" Auran asked rhetorically.
"What do you want me to do?" Modus asked apprehensively.
"Kill the false king." Flora answered as she released Mordis from her bindings.
"Kill the false king you say? So Blackbolt would have me prove my loyalty by killing his brother? I really don't know what you guys see in the guy." Mordis retorted as he calmly and casually loosened his now stiff body and neck.
"On the contrary, Blackbolt made no such order. All he said was that we must use our own discretion in passing a judgement on you. We both decided on this course of action. If you slay Maximus now, we will tell Blackbolt that we have verified your loyalty and commitment, we will vouch for you. If you don't kill him, well, not only won't we vouch for you, but you'll also be dead." Auran said matter of factly.
"Is it weird how turned on I am right now? Damn, I never knew I had a thing for bad girls." Mordis said with a mock thinking pose, as if his life wasn't just blatantly threatened just a few seconds ago.
"Stop stalling Mordis! Kill the imposter...or die." Flora ordered impatiently.
"You girls sure drive a hard bargain, but alright, will do. Consider the false King dead and buried...well, not buried, but definitely dead." Mordis babbled on, nevertheless turning his attentions to Maximus.
"N-nooo! Wait! Mordis! Hear me out!" Maximus cried out, finally mastering the courage to speak again after what Flora did to him the last time he tried to speak.
"I'm listening...I mean, I don't think it will do you much good but I'm listening regardless." Mordis said with a shrug of the shoulders.
"I did it for us! Everything I did, it was for Inhumanity! Kasius is just a means to an e..." Maximus trailed off, losing consciousness, and life itself as Mordis quickly snapped his neck, killing him instantly.
"I stopped lisening at 'I did it'. I didn't need to hear anymore after that. Nothing justifies intentionally putting civilian lives at risk like that, nothing." Mordis said angrily.
"His death was too quick and painless for my tastes, he deserved to suffer more, much...much more. Nevertheless you did as asked, thank you, now it's time for you to die." Auran deadpanned.
"...w-wha..."
"I'm kidding, of course. You did good today, Mordis. You're going to need some actual training of course from either Gorgon or me, but welcome to the Royal Guard. Congratulations on your provisional acceptance." Auran said with a pat on the back of the man codenamed "The Face of Death".
"T-thank you, I think." Mordis stuttered.
'Damn! What a scary woman.' Mordis thought apprehensively.
"Flora, how much time do we have before phase two?" Auran asked.
"Ten minutes." Flora replied.
"Okay, good, you have your mask with you right?" Auran asked.
"Yes, it's in my pocket." Flora answered.
"Okay, here, Mordis, take this. When I give the order you wear it. In the meantime figure out how exactly you're going to do that with that thing on your head." Auran ordered.
"Personally I think my mask is cooler, but what the hell am I supposed to wear a ninja face mask for? " Mordis asked incredulously.
"In ten minutes a terrigen mist will be released into the atmosphere of the entire warship. Every inhuman who has already undergone terrigenesis has been provided with an air filtration mask like the one I just gave you. The rest of the inhumans will undergo terrigenesis. If you don't want to turn into even more of an abomination, I'd suggest you wear that mask when the time comes. In the meantime help me cremate these bodies." Auran ordered.
"Okay will do. I have so many questions I have to ask you later though." Mordis said enthusiastically.
"Save the questions for later, we've got work to do. Flora, some firewood please." Auran ordered.
Meanwhile: Sinara's Quarters
"Let me get this straight, just to see if I didn't miss anything. Your full name is Steve Rogers, Captain Steve Rogers, as in, Captain America, the hero of Terran's second world war?" Sinara asked for confirmation.
"Yes, and let me say, I'm glad I don't have to explain much, you seem to know your Terran history..."
"Of course I know my Terran history, it's my job to know about he military potential of all species, especially one that I have enslaved." Sinara spat.
"..."
"I always knew there was something familiar about you, I just couldn't pinpoint it. I can't believe I missed such an important detail, hiding in plane sight, right under my nose. It would be impressive if it wasn't so vexing." Sinara said as she gave Steve another careful look, studying and admiring every piece of fabric from his Captain America Uniform, her eyes paying particular attention to the shield fixed on his left arm.
"If it's any consolation, I wanted to tell you the morning after our first time together. I didn't take pleasure in deceiving you. But I didn't know if I could trust you, and back then, you had no reason to side with me over Kasius. I felt like our bond needed further growth and nurturing before you would be ready for the truth." Steve replied.
"So I was nothing but a mark to you? Everything you said and did on that day we met, it was just to get my attention? To exploit my weaknesses?" Sinara asked with a combination of emotions bubbling under the surface that she couldn't even begin to describe, having never felt this humiliated in her entire life thus far.
"You were nothing but a mark to me, and I was nothing but I slave and servant to you. But relationships grow and evolve, when two hearts and minds resonate with each other, perception changes, emotions change, and as you learn more about each other, you begin to appreciate each other's presence in each other's lives. You were no longer a mark, and I was no longer your slave, you became my lover, my partner, someone whom I deeply care about, someone I would put my life on the line for. That doesn't have to change, I don't want it to change, although there will be complications..."
"What complications? Why are you here exactly?" Sinara asked with narrowed eyes.
"I may no longer be your slave, but technically I am one such thing. I am a pseudo citizen of the Sovereign, Priestess Ayesha is my Ward. I was sent by her to rescue the inhumans and to eliminate Kasius and his organisation. She was the one who suggested I seduce you. I can't refuse her, or she has threatened to destroy my homeworld. I am obligated to do as she wishes. I don't have any regrets, as I would have never met you if it wasn't for her, I'm glad I got to meet you, and got to know you. If possible I would like for our...partnership to continue."
"So you're an agent of the Sovereign? It makes sense I suppose. I won't lie Steve, my every instict right now is to kill you, but if the Sovereign is involved, then there was nothing you could have done differently. The Sovereign are very dangerous, and extremely fickle and volatile. They really would destroy an entire planet because of one person's offense. Still, how exactly do you see us going forward except to try and murder each other right here? You're about to kill my Ward if I'm not mistaken, you're staging a coupe as we speak, that's why you're here, dressed like that, isn't it? Kill my Ward, kill my comrades, and speed into the sunset together? Does that actually make sense in your head?" Sinara asked rhetorically.
"Let's not pretend that you acually care about your so called comrades. They hate you for being a woman in power, for being more powerful and important than they are, and you hate them too. As for Kasius, maybe you once loved him, but you love me now, and I you. Kasius broke all his promises to you and if he didn't need you to dissuade enemies from attacking, he probably wouldn't even care at all about you. You no longer love him, and you're only with him because you no longer have anywhere to go. But you can come with me..."
"Whereto? Huh, Steve? To the Sovereign? You think the the Golden Priestess will allow us to continue doing our thing? She'll let me have a relationship, romantic and sexual, with her prized possession? You think I can't figure out that you and her are more than just normal slave and master? Admit it Steve, you're her play thing aren't you?" Sinara asked rhetorically.
"Yes I am, but that is pricisely why you must join me. I'm planning to form my own taskforce, dedicated to Universal Peace. I want you to be my first recruit and second in command. Together we will recruit some of the best and most trustworthy allies in the Universe. When we are strong enough, big enough, powerful enough, and technologically advanced enough, even the Sovereign won't want to mess with us, especially considering the number of allies we will have in the entire Universe because of our peace keeping efforts. Everyone will have a vested interest in our continued existence, and anyone who makes an enemy of us will make an enemy of our alllies. We will checkmate the Priestess, tie her hands behind her back." Steve said with a small smile on his facial features.
"So you're playing the long con. You want to help the Priestess, to help you, destroy her and the Sovereign?" Sinara asked curiously.
"No. I have no intention of destroying her, only to put her in a position where she can't control me anymore. Sinara, I do care about the Priestess, I...I think I also love her in the same way that I love you. But I can't have both of you, it's not possible, and it's not fair to either of you."
"You're wrong Steve."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't mind sharing with the Priestess. I just don't like being lied to. As long as you're completely honest with me, I don't have a problem. Bare in mind, I'm not saying sharing you is something I'm okay with, I'm saying that sharing with the Priestess in particular is something I can accept. She's a priestess, I'm a low born Kree, that we have the same mate is almost like a priviledge, it elevates my status even. It proves that despite my low social ranking, I am someone so formidable, so desirable, and so amazing and strong that even the High Born of the Universe respect and value me. It proves that I am on the right path to elevating myself and future generations of my lineage to High Born status." Sinara explained.
"I see...well, I did not see that coming at all. So...does that mean that you're on board? You'll join me?" Steve asked for confirmation.
"Yes, yes I will...my Captain." Sinara said with a small smile.
"I am so relieved to hear that. Okay, here's the pla...what the...no! It's not possible!" Steve exclaimed in shock, watching in surprise as his body began turning into stone right then and there.
"Steve! What's going on?" Sinara exclaimed worriedly, running towards her mate to try and help him through, whatever it was that was happening to him.
"Ayesha! She must have either known or did this to me herself! That's why she sent me here. I...I seem to be undergoing terrigenesis. I...I'm inhuman apparen...tly..." Steve trailed off as his entire body became petrified.
"No! Steve! Steve!" Sinara cried hysterically.
"The plan...what's gonna happen to the...I'll have to take over then. I'll have to convince the others I'm on their side somehow. Steve, we'll make this work, I promise! I'll take care of things while you recover." Sinara vowed, kissing the petrified Captain Rogers on the lips before setting out to complete the mission on his behalf.
'Kasius, I'm sorry, but this is less than you deserve. I've suffered your evil and treacherous ways for far too long. I should have never saved your life in the first place.' Sinara thought bitterly, although there was a pinch of sadness too mixed in there.
'Steve is the legitimate deal. He will lead me to a path of greatness and benovelance. Our names will be sung across the galaxy and the entire universe. We will become royalty, King and Queen in our own right.' Sinara thought with hope and determination.
End Chapter
Thank you all for reading, I hope the chapter was at least readable.
I dunno when the next chapter will be up, but I want to be working on it as soon as possible, while I still got the free time.
Thanks for reading and thank you for the reviews.