Roni stared at me for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "Walk with me," she finally said.

"Sure. Long as it's not too far. It's almost time for class to start."

She stared at me. "Why would you care about that?"

"Because history's one of my best subjects. I'd like to get an 'A' in it."

"You're strange, Skrull."

"Look, call me, Pete. Or call me Morgan. But don't call me 'Skrull', okay? Otherwise, I'm going to shout 'Kree' at the top of my lungs."

She nodded. "Morgan."

"Thank you, Crandall." We started walking around the commons, back to the lockers. I noticed the curious looks we were getting, but decided that I couldn't do much about that at the moment.

"Why do you care how you do in this school?" There was something like honest curiosity in her voice.

"Because I want to get into a good college." I paused. "I was born here."

"You were born on this mud ball planet?" Her voice had started to rise, but she swiftly lowered it.

"Yes. Look, I know that our two respective species don't get along-- and I know you have no reason to trust me, but you're being set up."

"Set up?"

"Your leaders will betray you. They plan on using you as a scapegoat. They don't care about you or your honor. They just want to use you to build up their own political standing. You're expendable."

"My leaders would never betray me!" she hissed angrily. "We Kree have honor!"

"Honor, huh? So much honor that you don't care if innocents are killed."

"What do you mean?"

"If you can't get whatever it is you're supposed to get back from Roxxon, your bosses are going to destroy it-- and it'll take out half the planet. At least, that's what they said."

She stared at me. "How would you know?"

"I was there. I listened in." I breathed into her ear. "You look cute in green armor."

She grabbed me by the neck and lifted me off the ground. "Calot of a Skrull-- how dare you!"

It was very painful. I don't think it would have been as painful for a human, but it probably would have been a good deal more fatal. I could feel my neck compressing as though it were made of rubber under her grasp. I knew that I couldn't take much of this, though-- even Skrulls need to breathe.

So I did the only thing I could; I fought back.

I glanced down at my left hand and watched it turn into the head of a sledgehammer. It felt odd-- but maybe that was just oxygen deprivation.

"Let me go!" I gasped-- and struck Roni on the side of the head with my fist.

The sledgehammer fist, that is.

The blow probably would have killed a human being, but Roni Crandall was no more human than I was. It broke her grip and knocked her to the floor-- but it did little more than stun her.

I glanced around. If anyone had seen us--

Unfortunately, someone had.

"Peter?" B.W. said in a whisper as she stared at me … and the sledgehammer that had replaced my left hand.

"B.W., I can explain--" I began.

"She has seen what we are!" Roni Crandall said as she got to her feet. "We cannot allow that. She must be dealt with!"

And she advanced on B.W. McCoy with murder in her eyes …