" Attack is the secret of defense; defense is the planning of an attack. "
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War(Two Weeks Later: Port Alcan, Alaska)
Peter and his tall hooded companion had set off their trail to cross the border after their stay in Canada. The two avoided the Pacific coast which they heard the presence of the Kree and Lizards bombarded and invaded the nearby towns and cities going to Juneau. So, they took a different route in travelling the Alaskan Highway going to the Yukon Territory on foot and by hitchhike of some vehicles.
On their trip, the Kree-Lizard hybrid remembered those days which the late Captain Mar-Vell had their journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco several months ago. But this time the route was different, he saw a forest of pine trees and mountains. Visiting by the cold Arctic breeze, he found it very relaxing despite of a long tiring trip.
In the late evening until dawn, Peter Parker began sharing his story of how he ended up as Spider-Man which the boy got interested to hear and paid his attention. The masked man also told of his fights against criminals and overpowered beings. But for the Kree-Lizard invasion, he realized it was the most traumatic and skirmish. The boy heavily sighed upon hearing it.
Finally, they made their way to border in the morning. The welcome sign of Port Alcan, Alaska was left ruined as the boy and his friend sadly sighed and approached it.
" Peter, " he called the masked man's attention. " Did the enemies do it? "
" Well, yeah..." Peter seriously spoke and crossed his arms. " I guess all of the people are either dead, abducted or missing. We have reached another ghost town, Bud. What do you expect? "
" Right..."
" For now, we need to find a village to stay. "
" Got it. "
The two proceeded on the road while finding for a place to stay. Suddenly, they heard a commotion from the other side of the road.
" Quick, let's hide from those trees! " Peter ordered.
" Okay. "
The two immediately hid in the forests as they observed a Kree vessel landed near the checkpoint. A pink Kree man stood and waited for the new arrivals. Just beside him, a cyborg man named Psycho turned around and waited for his master's orders. Opening the ship's hull, there were a squadron of blue-skinned and reptilian people coming to them. Yon-Rogg confronted the newcomers as they paid attention.
" Your operation begins here, " he informed. " Your Earthian guide, Psycho will help you to raid the inhabitants. Get the Inhumans and the Earthians to me, if you see some exiled Kree or their allies. Kill them! Understood? "
" Yes, sir! " they spoke in unison.
" Now, proceed. "
Psycho nodded and signalled the new troopers going to the town. Peter and the Kree-Lizard hybrid exchanged glances and understood of what would happen anytime.
" Should we attack him? " the boy asked.
" Not yet, " Peter whispered. " We haven't planned anything. We might end up in bloodshed here. "
" So, we'll stay here? "
" Yeah. "
Yon-Rogg was left alone and waiting for his subordinates to report. It took him minutes into an hour. Suddenly, he was being blasted by a radiant energy. Peter and his hooded friend watched him from a distance when they got surprised. It was long-haired mutant man wearing a blue shirt, a pair of black pants, and a protective vest. He clenched his both fists to attack the Kree man.
" Sorry, pal. You're not allowed to cross the US Border, " he sternly spoke. " Unless, you have an official business, here! "
" Who the hell are you?! " Yon-Rogg took his pistol and pointed at him. " Are you one of those exiles or traitors against the Empire?! "
" The name's Gladius Fernal and no, I'm a mutant all the way from Republic of Remnant. I've got assigned here, Bud. "
" Remnant, the land of the disgusting exiled Kree! "
Yon-Rogg pulled the trigger and blasted the mutant down. Gladius got himself down, but he absorbed the energy from his pistol gun and reflected back at him. The pink-Kree soldier was sent flying, but he stood up, took out his knife, and threw it at him. Gladius again fired the knife down as Yon-Rogg was surprised to see him. The mutant instantly tackled him down and punched his face. A drip of blue blood was flowing down from his nose. Yon-Rogg retaliated back as he pinned the mutant down.
" How is it like to suffer? " he asked.
" Oh come on, Kree! " Gladius chuckled. " I have been suffering ever since! "
" Then...DIE! "
Yon-Rogg was about to clench his left fist as he got distracted and almost blinded by the silvery white light. Gladius got surprised he was being webbed and brought away into safety. The pink-Kree soldier quickly escaped and followed the route where his subordinates had gone.
A green-haired man with a mustache ran towards the forest and followed the trail where Gladius was found.
" Finally, you guys are safe! " the man beamed and sighed in relief.
" Yeah, thanks to Spider-Man, here! " Gladius smiled and turned to Peter when he removed his mask. " Thanks, Peter. "
" You're welcome, " the bearded man smiled back.
The Kree-Lizard boy kept hiding from the trees as he wasn't confident enough to reveal himself to those three people. He never wanted to be in-trouble which his friends warned him. Spider-Man and the other two men were still talking as he waited for them to finish. The green-haired man sensed something from a distance as Gladius and Peter noticed him.
" Chris? " Gladius turned to him. " Is there something wrong? "
" Yes, " he nodded. " I feel like someone is hiding in this forest. "
" Come on, Chris, " Peter nervously smiled and scratched his head. " It can be your imagination. "
" No, it seems like someone is afraid. "
Peter Parker gulped when he wanted to divert his other friend's attention. Gladius sternly glared at the two as he became more suspicious of an unusual subject inside the forest.
" It must be from our enemies, " he said. " I better check that thing. "
" Gladius! No! Please! " Peter hindered him and waved his arms. " You're not gonna believe..."
" Stop making excuses, Parker! It must be those Kree and Lizards which they devised a weapon for destruction. They're gonna use it against us! "
" No, Gladius, it's..."
" What?! "
" Guys, I am checking for that by myself, " the green-haired man broke his silence.
" But, Chris! " the two men raised their voices in unison.
" Don't worry, I'm used to deal with monsters, Kree, Lizards, and other bad guys. Nothing's new with me. "
Christopher Knightfall headed farther away from the position and sensed someone hiding behind the pine trees. He tried to use his silver-eyes light and detected an energy in the area. The Kree-Lizard boy became more frightened than ever in seeing the man with silver-eyes. Suddenly, the man spotted him as the hybrid covered his eyes. Christopher ceased using his powers and approached the boy stepping away from him.
" Hey, don't be afraid, " he calmly said. " I'm not gonna hurt you..."
The boy widened his eyes in fear as he saw the green-haired man coming to him. He thought of coming to Peter and going away. Christopher secretly read his mind and held the hybrid's hand.
" Why are you holding my hand? " the Kree-Lizard boy apprehensively asked. " I'm nothing but a monster who kills people. "
" I don't judge people from who they are or what they had done in the past, " Christopher replied. " The most important things for me is a person's character, mind, and intention which I can deal with. "
" I don't understand..."
" You'll understand them in the right time. By the way, did you have a name? "
" No...the people of the MTF call me 682. I'm now a street beggar and wanderer..."
" I see. My name's Christopher Knightfall. Don't be afraid, I knew you brought another friend along the way. "
" You mean, Peter? "
" Yes, come with me. "
The Kree-Lizard boy joined with the man as Gladius and Peter saw the two approaching them. The mutant turned to the costumed man and raised his eyebrows.
" So, this is the guy you're supposed to mention about? " Gladius asked.
" Y-yeah..." Peter nervously chuckled and scratched his head. " Don't worry, he's harmless, but naive and troubled."
" What do you mean troubled? "
" He has a hard shell-shock. You know? If you heard about SCP-682, then he had memories of that monster. I got used to hear of his nightmares every evening. "
" Oh, goodness..." Gladius sadly sighed. " Those MTF people must have dealt with him very harshly. But for that monster's curse, he will have a long time to get himself cured. Look, Peter. I can heal a person physically using my purging light, but not psychological trauma. That's really already out of my scope. "
" Is there a way to get him cured mentally? "
" I'm not so sure. If only, we can have a psychiatrist to fix him, but I don't think we have one on my turf. If Xavier is with us, then he could help him. "
Christopher and the Kree-Lizard boy joined the other two men. Gladius turned to the tall hooded being and carefully examined him. He noticed two humanoid eyes with green pupils and a blue scar on his left side of the face. The Kree-Lizard hybrid's facial features were far different from 682.
" He's neither a Faunus nor a mutant, " the long-haired man replied.
" I am a clone of the horrendous SCP-682, " the boy calmly spoke. " Your people regarded me as a threat which my predecessor can ruthlessly slaughter thousands. I have memories of that dreadful one. So, if you find me horrible, you may kill me to end this bondage I have. "
Christopher and Gladius sadly sighed and exchanged glances. Peter understood of his friend which he had been with him for several days.
" I hope you're not related to those enemies we're dealing with, " Gladius seriously replied. " Peter told me of your history which you have a prolonged mental trauma. We wish to help you, but unfortunately we can't find someone who can deal with your illness. Besides, we don't have any intention to kill you, unless you display such threat to us. "
" Why is that? "
" Well, we are having a serious situation. For now, you may stick with us. Let's see what we can do. Perhaps, we need manpower who can be an informant, a spy, or someone who will help the community. "
The Kree-Lizard hybrid turned to Peter when his friend smiled and nodded. Christopher was also pleased for the boy to join them.
" If I help you, what would I gain from this? Am I worthy for the one you need help? "
" I'll be honest with you, man. Some of the people have knowledge of 682. Some will think of you as a spy for the Kree-Lizard legion. They might get paranoid to meet you, but you can prove to them you're a trusted man who can work with us. "
" All right, then. But I don't know how to read or write, " he said. " For that matter, I will be a hindrance to you. "
" It doesn't matter if you're an illiterate, " Gladius replied. " We need manual labor and logistics since your size and height is closer to an average exiled Kree. You can lift heavy objects and reach higher things. If you're trained enough for combat, then I can assign you in the frontlines or do some undercover work. "
" All right, " the boy nodded. " I think I can do that. I'll do my best to work along with you. "
" Good. But for your question earlier, Yes, you can have food or drinks. Just prove to us you're hardworking, vigilant, and trustworthy. "
" Thank you. "
" You're welcome. By the way, my name's Gladius Fernal, leader of the Alaskan Rebel Forces. You're in the right hands. We need you in times of despair. "
" Welcome, aboard, Dude! " Peter happily beamed.
" I know you can do it, friend, " Christopher shook the Kree-Lizard boy's hand.
" Thank you. "
(Later in the Evening)
The Kree-Lizard hybrid boy looked at the stars at night, while sitting at the ground near the cabin's porch. The stillness of the night had given him a peace of mind even he was still grieving for his losses: Mar-Vell and Nancy Johnson. He sighed and leaned on the tree, reminiscing those days he had when they were living.Seeing the Milky Way Galaxy's band of stars, the boy took a deep breath and imagined himself if he could reach beyond this Earthly ground. Mar-Vell once told him he was from a distant planet and galaxy. The boy's curiosity of the universe had increased everytime he looked at the stars. Just beside him, Christopher Knightfall joined the boy's stargazing at night. The hybrid turned to him and got curious.
" Aren't you supposed to get some sleep? " Christopher called his attention.
" No, sleep is very pointless to me at all, even I still dream of that demon hurting the innocent people, " the boy sadly spoke. " It's useless..."
" I'm so sorry to hear that. That's pretty tough for you to experience that one instead of sleeping very peacefully. "
" It's all right. I would rather see the stars at night and wait for the morning. It doesn't matter if I couldn't get sleep. "
" Oh, I see. You can see the Dog Star, Sirius, over there, " he pointed at the blue star on the blanket of darkness.
" Oh, that's nice, " the boy slightly smiled. " Can we reach those stars? "
" Sadly, we couldn't go there, " Christopher answered. " People had been to the moon and some satellites went to the planets and headed beyond our solar system. "
" People went to the moon? "
" Yeah, several decades ago, there were two men who landed and walked on the moon's surface. They left a flag and a mark that people had explored the nearest heavenly body. "
" Interesting. "
" After the moon travel, people thought of exploring the planets and spent their lives near Earth. Well, we're supposed to travel to Mars and beyond, but our invaders hindered us to do so. "
" I'm so sorry to hear that, " the boy replied. " I hope this war will be over, so you can explore to different worlds. "
" Yeah, it's bad and sad, " Christopher said. " Anyway when I was younger, I dreamed of going to outer space and reaching beyond the stars. Well, I couldn't make it when I thought of becoming a huntsman with silver-eyes and married my dear wife, Winter. "
" So, you had normal life, then? "
" Not really, but I fought Grimm, criminal syndicates in Remnant and other countries, and space aliens. It doesn't matter if I never achieved my childhood dream, but my job as a huntsman and a spy had given me such adventures here on Earth. "
" Now, that's more interesting to have a life like yours. "
" That's true. How about you? " the green-haired man asked.
" I was a test subject from the MTF, but my friend helped me escape after the earthquake. I spent more than a year as a wandering street beggar. I met another friend and then my special someone along the way, but they perished. My friend died of an illness and then my girlfriend was killed by those enemies. "
" I'm sorry to hear that, mate, " Christopher recalled. " By the way, my wife Winter and the others got abducted by the Kree and Lizards in Remnant several months ago. I spent days searching and fighting, but I met my demise. Before leaving the country, someone saved my life and helped me unleash my semblance or powers. "
" How come? Who saved you? "
" It's the Kree Eternal, Methu-Selah. He was the one who saved me and realized I'm part-Kree aside from being an Inhuman. From that skirmish, he encouraged me to fight back for my loved ones. That's why I joined Gladius here in Alaska. Someday, I will rescue Winter and my loved ones from them. "
" I see then, " the boy nodded. " Will I ever meet the Kree Eternal and help me break this bondage I have? "
" I think so. If he meets you, surely he will help you get healed from that trauma. "
" Is he a good man? "
" Of course, he is, " Christopher smiled and turned to the sky. " Not just good, but a great man. He reminds me of my father. "
" Will I ever see him? "
" In the future perhaps, you will meet him very soon. "
