" Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. "
- Kahlil Gibran
(Next Day: Rouen, France, 1:30 PM)
The Kree-Lizard boy went to his room after he did some chores with his mother at the kitchen. He checked on his drawers and found an unwritten journal which he flipped the pages. The hybrid took a pencil from the table. He sat on his chair, thinking of what he would write on the first page.
" I wonder what I could do on this one, " he thought and scratched his chin. Then, he snapped his fingers and tapped his pencil using his left hand. " Wait! That's it! My mother wanted to know about my memories before I met her! Yeah, this would surely work. I would let her read them, instead of telling the whole story for a long time! This is great! "
He began recalling those years which he had been in Alaska for twenty or thirty years before he reached to France. Then, he scribbled on the pages using his left hand. His words turned into few paragraphs which he spent writing from seconds to minutes. From his written memories, he continued recalling those days with Gladius's faction. Without his knowledge, an elderly half-Kree woman appeared and entered his room. The boy noticed her coming and sitting down on the chair beside him.
" Sorry to interrupt you, Kid, " she called him. " I'm curious of what you're writing about in your journal. "
" My memories on my trips before, " he instantly answered while writing. " I hope you can read them if you want to know more, mother. "
" Written memoirs! That's a good idea, Kid! " Carol snapped her fingers and happily beamed. " It seems that's a new one instead of telling them to me. Am I right? "
" Yes, I want to do something different in sharing my stories that would never take me a long time. "
" That's good. I'll wait for you to finish it. "
The Kree-Lizard boy nodded and continued writing his next page of his journal. Carol waited for him to finished it. He finished writing his first ten pages and handed it to his mother.
" There, you go, " he said. " I hope you would like it. "
" Thanks, " the elderly woman smiled and received it. " I will enjoy this one! "
" Sure! "
Carol read the pages of his journal which they were all written in English. She became more engaged in eyeing the words and comprehending her son's journey from Alaska to France. She started visualizing his memories while reading it.
(TWENTY YEARS AGO: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA)
The Kree-Lizard tensions became more heightened than ever after three decades of the rebel forces had been fighting. Gladius Fernal and the other members of the Alcan and Anchorage were struggling to continue in fighting the resources became scarce as the population of the rebel community were increasing in number of births aside from deaths and enslavement.
The hybrid boy spent working around the compound as a janitor and logistics man which all he did was to clean the place and carry the stolen cargo crates from the Kree-Lizard legion. His life became more occupied than ever in order for him to forget and ignore all the nightmares from SCP-682. Somehow, his work was helping him to recover, but there were some episodes that he was constantly crying at night or sometimes being catatonic. Thanks to his friends and fellow rebels, he tried to cope-up from the skirmish which he experienced.
Just this morning, he went mopping the floors on the hallway as he put his mop on the bucket and changed the water. The hybrid squeezed the water from it and continued wiping the floor. Then, he heard wailing from the other side of the place and paused his work. The green-haired middle aged man approached him as the Kree-Lizard held his mop.
" Christopher, what happened? " he curiously asked.
" Old Victor died of a heart attack after he heard the news about his family, " Christopher replied and sadly sighed. " Just yesterday, his lizard wife Coleen got killed by our enemies. She tried to fight back, but she failed. "
" I see, " he sadly sighed. " Then, what happened to his other family members? "
" His children got killed in an encounter in Nome. His son Jared got abducted two months ago. I think he is the only survivor of the Coulson family. "
" Jared? Who is he? "
" He's the youngest child in the family and around sixteen to seventeen years old. The boy is related to Agent Philip Coulson of SHIELD aside from being a human-lizard hybrid. "
" Philip Coulson? "
" Never heard of him before? " Christopher asked.
" No, " the Kree-Lizard boy nodded. " I'm sorry. All I knew is Mar-Vell, Captain America, Captain Marvel or Carol Danvers and then Spider-Man. "
" Wait, how did you know them? Did you meet them in person or just heard? "
" I heard of Captain America in a conversation from the MTF. When I escaped after the earthquake, I went to Los Angeles and met the former Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell. "
" Oh, I see, " he nodded and asked. " Did you know what happened to him? "
" He became a street beggar as I joined him. Then, he passed away more than a month later. "
" I'm so sorry for that loss, but how about, Carol? "
" I saw her on the television doing her flying attempt. "
" And then, you met Spider-Man all the way from Canada. "
" Yes, " he nodded. " But the man named Philip Coulson, I have never heard of him. "
" Definitely, you will meet him, " Christopher replied and nodded.
" Wait, is the man named Coulson here? " the hybrid asked.
" I think he is coming from downtown. If you want I will let you talk to him. "
" I'm not sure if he would be pleased to see me, " the Kree-Lizard sighed.
" Why? "
" I'm a clone of 682. Some of the people in this district were afraid of me. That's why I remained inside the compound and spent working as a janitor. But thank you for letting me work on your end, but the stigma and bondage are still with me. "
Christopher Knightfall gently patted his friend's back and showed him assurance and comfort. The boy was curious for his action.
" Look, you have done so much to help us here, " the green-haired man calmly replied. " First of, you helped me finding my wife back in the warehouse. Secondly, you saved my daughter Waltina from being captured by our enemies on the streets. Thirdly, you have done a lot of effort in helping Gladius and the others. I understood you wanted to break away from your darkness. "
" So, what should I do? "
" Well, the Kree Eternal Methu-Selah can only cure you from that problem you have. "
" How can I find him? "
" He's a mysterious being, " he replied. " But he can go anywhere. If you have decided to go on a journey on your own, you can set that quest to find him. "
Suddenly, they saw Gladius talking to an elderly man with a left cybernetic arm. He and the other people mourned for the loss of Victor Coulson just recently. The Kree-Lizard closely looked at the newcomer and turned to his friend.
" Is that him? " he asked.
" Yeah, " Christopher nodded.
" Should we talk to him? "
" I think it's the best for him to mourn. Let's go back to work. "
" Right. "
The two returned to their respective duties as the boy kept looking at the old man. He felt pity at him and continued mopping the floor. Few hours later, he finished doing his chores and headed to the lobby. Looking at the living room area, he saw the elderly man sitting alone on the chair. Elder Philip Coulson remained silent and drank his cup of tea.
The boy approached him as the man suspiciously glared at him.
" Are you the ones who killed my nephew and my family? " Coulson indignantly asked.
" N-no, sir..." the boy tremblingly replied. " I heard what happened to them. I'm so sorry for your loss. "
" Do you know how painful that I lost my entire career and family because of what your people have done?! "
" Sir...I..."
" What?! Don't play dumb and innocent here! Your people including the Kree invaded New York! SHIELD was destroyed and nothing could gain from it! "
The hybrid nervously gulped and received the harsh words from the elderly man who was a former SHIELD Agent. It was year 2018 when the invasion had started. The boy was dumbfounded which he had no clear idea of what was going on at the time. Coulson stood up from his seat, placed his cup on the side table, and took his cane.
" I'm counting from one to ten and asking you to leave, " he angrily spoke. " Your disgusting race along with the Kree deserve death after all. I might kill you as soon as I can. "
" Sir, please calm down, " he said and felt sweating on his face. " I'm not going to hurt you. "
" GET OUT! "
The elderly man raised his cane as the boy grabbed it. Coulson was surprised to see his instant action and remaining speechless at this moment.
" Why are you doing this?! Tell me! "
" Your youngest relative is still alive, " the hybrid answered. " Do you even think he will die just like the others?! "
" Why are you saying that?! "
" Because Jared is your only relative who survived, " he answered. " If you don't believe in what I have said, I might as well leave this place and find him! "
Elder Coulson widened his eyes in surprise to what he had heard from the Kree-Lizard boy's words. He let down his cane, returned from his seat, and wept. The elderly man was succumbing to his sadness and grief. The boy sighed and understood how the man felt.
" I understood how you lost your family when Christopher told me earlier, " he calmly spoke. " I lost my best friend from an illness and then my girlfriend from some enemy attack. It was devastating and depressing to experience that way. Honestly, I have the worst experiences from 682. I have been seeing death from his victims, including myself. If you find me horrible to see, then I will leave if you wish to. As long as I find your relative, you can live in peace. "
Elder Coulson rubbed and wiped his eyes as the boy was about to leave. He was supposed to call the hybrid's attention, but it was too late to do it. The Kree-Lizard hybrid headed his way and overheard a slave den in a district somewhere in Anchorage. He became interested at the topic as everyone had agreed to go there.
" So, this is where the slaves are found, " he determinedly thought. " Perhaps, I could find that boy from there. I need to go there for myself. "
(MERRILL FIELD AIRPORT, 9:30 PM)
The wide runway and the structures turned out to be a Kree-Lizard slave den where the hybrid secretly entered the facility and went hiding inside the crates. He heard chattering of those guards in an alien language. Suddenly, he heard an explosion from a distance and widened his eyes.
" No! It can't be! " he anxiously thought. " He couldn't die there. There must be a place where I can find him and those slaves. "
Turning his head around, he heard another conversation between the Kree and the Lizards. He saw some barrels and smaller tanks of hydrogen cyanide which the enemies were preparing to set-up for their gas chamber poisoning into the building where the other slaves who rebelled and retaliated against their captors. Tuning to the wailing of the slaves, he was astonished to hear of despair and brutality.
" This is really morbid, " he sighed. " This needs to be stopped. "
He spied within the perimeter and saw the guards coming. The Kree-Lizard found some unused airplane tires beside him and threw one to them. They got pinned down by the large black rubber tire to trap and distract them. The other blue skinned and reptilian guards kept shooting him as the boy quickly dodged and threw another tire to hit them.
" That hooded fool! " the lizard angrily grunted.
" Get him! " the Kree added.
The guards slowly stood up, put the tires down, and followed him. The boy never looked back even he was running away from his opponents. Then, he saw another group of guards walking around the building. The commander signalled them to begin exposing the hydrogen cyanide gas. Inside the building, the rest of the slaves were about to face death as the captors were about to poison them in the gas chamber. The others began to cough and get suffocated from the exposure. An Asian looking girl passed out and became unconscious as her half-Lizard boyfriend carried her.
" Melinda! Wake-up! Melinda, wake up! " he cried and coughed. " Please don't leave me! "
The young woman was not responding as the red blood flowed from her nose. The half-Lizard saw her. He couldn't believe that his loved one had met death at this moment. The others were dying and falling down. He was about to face his doom and watching his fellow slaves failing. Suddenly, a brave Kree-Lizard broke the facility, covered his mouth, and rescued the surviving slaves one by one. The young half-Lizard was surprised to see the hooded rescuer. They quickly evacuated the building when they all got saved from their impending deaths. The half-Lizard watched from a distance and panted. He instantly sat down on the ground and wept. The Kree-Lizard boy noticed him and sighed.
" Melinda..." he sadly muttered his girlfriend's name as the other hybrid stood next to him.
" It's okay. You're all saved..."
" It's not okay! Some of us died along with the elderly! I could have saved her, but it's too late! It's all my fault! It's all my fault! "
The Kree-Lizard boy directly looked at him with a concern. He remembered he lost Nancy some years ago in Canada and understood of that tremendous loss which the half-Lizard slave had.
" I'm sorry for that loss, " the hooded hybrid spoke. " I really understood that feeling, but we really need to go. The Kree and Lizard slave captors are after you. "
" No, I can't leave her! " the teenaged slave angrily yelled. " I'm supposed to die with her! Please let me die! "
" You need to run, now! "
The Kree-Lizard boy grabbed the other hybrid's hands. He felt dumbfounded while he was being dragged by him. The survivors joined with them and fled away from the slave area. The blue skinned and reptilian troopers chased them and kept targeting as one of them got shot and died.
" ALL OF YOU CANNOT LEAVE THIS PLACE! " the Kree Lieutenant exclaimed and pointed their weapons at them. " IF YOU DARE, YOU WILL DIE LIKE HIM! "
The others murmured and exchanged glances when the two hybrid men remained silent. They all raised their hands as the troopers and guards surrounded them. Danger had visited them once again. The Kree-Lizard himself was in deep trouble along with the others. A young blue skinned woman in a black dress held two metallic balls when she blandly stared at them.
" Sinara, take them down including Yon-Rogg's accuser, " the lieutenant ordered.
Sinara the Kree executioner nodded no furiously and levitated the metallic balls. The slaves got fell down and found bleeding and unconscious. The two hybrid men were the remaining to be killed. Sinara intently looked at the Kree-Lizard boy as she ceased levitating her weapon. The lieutenant crossed his arms and glared at her.
" Sinara, you're supposed to kill these two! Quit stalling! "
" I found the hooded one interesting, not Slave 789, " she seriously answered.
" What do you mean? "
Sinara grabbed the hybrid's hands, showing the sharp blue claws. The boy was very uncomfortable at the Kree woman's gesture. He sternly glared at her, but Sinara ignored him. The lieutenant scratched his chin and got curious of the blue color of his claw and the scar on his left side of his face.
" We'll take this one to Lord Taryan, " he said.
" How about Slave 789? "
" Kill him. "
The teenaged half-Lizard became more terrified than ever which he was sweating and gulping. Sinara levitated the two balls, preparing for another skirmish to the next victim. The Kree-Lizard boy quickly pushed the other hybrid away into safety and swiped the fatal metallic balls away. The young female Kree executioner was infuriated as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Then, she turned to the lizard troopers and summoned to kill them both. The two hybrid men exchanged glances when they were facing another danger. The lieutenant was watching them and crossing his arms while waiting for another death toll to happen.
" What now? " the hybrid slave asked.
" RUN! "
The two hurriedly escaped as they could to avoid another attack, however they were being chased by the enemies. They headed to the gate and found it locked. The young hybrid became more anxious than ever which he turned his head to and fro.
" Now, what are we gonna do? " he asked.
" I can still break these chains, " the Kree-Lizard answered, crushed the metallic chains, and pushed the gate as they instantly left the place.
Finally, they got escaped from the former airport turned slave den, however the rebel forces arrived. The boy recognized them when a long haired mutant man walked over. The other half-lizard remained speechless to see him coming. Gladius Fernal's face was sterner than ever as he put his both hands on his waist.
" Gladius, I'm so sorry... I can explain, " the Kree-682 hybrid apprehensively spoke.
" We'll talk later, my friend, " Gladius seriously replied. " We need to finish this operation as soon as possible. "
(MOMENTS LATER: ARC COMPOUND, DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE)
" Don't you even realize that you get into deep trouble if you have your unauthorized solo missions?! " the long haired mutant raised his voice while crossing his arms and sternly looking at him. " You already have known my son Tizona almost died three weeks ago working alone against the Kree and the Lizards. Now, he's seriously injured and couldn't operate in the frontlines. Then, Victor Coulson's sons also met the same fate along with the others! I don't want any losing and dying soldiers on my watch because of their recklessness and disobedience! You as a person with a mild insanity could have traumatized or perhaps died in action! That's why I gave you a designated task within the compound as I have already reported your status to Elder Maria Hill in New York. She decided not to put you into the frontlines. "
The Kree-Lizard boy remained silent while sitting on the chair in this room. He was like a child being angrily scolded by his father. Gladius heavily sighed out of frustration and waited for him to speak.
" Gladius...I'm so sorry..." the hybrid humbly spoke and felt ashamed.
" Sorry for what? "
" I promised the old man earlier to save his relative. I already saw the other young man is still alive. So, I rescued him from that place, even it could cost my life. "
" You mean Phil Coulson's grandnephew and Victor's youngest son? "
" Yes, he's here with us and the only survivor from the slave den. "
Gladius turned to the doorway, seeing the old man talking and hugging his grandnephew from a distance. That touching reunion was the result of the Kree-Lizard boy's risky exploits which he was willing to do so. The mutant sighed in relief and slightly smiled at him.
" So, that explains why you did that? " he asked.
" Yes, they're both happy. "
" All right, I'm now satisfied and finally understood. I do appreciate what you have done earlier. Thank you, friend, " the mutant replied and gently patted the hybrid's back. " Next time, if you want to join in an operation like that, you should inform me and give you another task. Just stick with the team and be careful, okay? "
" Okay, " he nodded.
" You can go back. I'll see you in the morning, Goodnight. "
" Goodnight, sir. "
The Kree-Lizard boy walked to the corridors as the elderly man approached him along with his grandnephew. They were both smiling at him as he got surprised.
" I'm so sorry for being offensive earlier, " the old man calmly spoke. " I never realized you truly kept your promise in saving my grandnephew. Thank you and by the way, my name is Philip Coulson, former Agent of SHIELD before this long-term crisis happened. "
" You're welcome, " he blushed and smiled. " It's nice to meet you. "
" Hey, Thanks for saving me. I'm Slave 789, " the half-Lizard replied. " Everyone in the slave den by their numbers, not in real names. "
" Why? "
" The tyrant races had already imposed a rule to call our fellow slaves serial numbers. We're like prisoners, " he sadly replied. " Only, me and Melinda secretly kept calling our names. "
" Well, you're free now and I want to know your real name. "
" Jared Philip Coulson, " he slightly smiled. " And your name? "
" I can't mention my name. I'm sorry. "
" It's okay, " Jared smiled back and replied. " At least you can remember me, when I found you elsewhere. Now we're living under the same roof, we can get along with each other very well, even we're both lizards working for a good cause. "
" I'll find and join you, Jared. Can I be your friend after this? "
Jared wiped his tears as he met a fellow half lizard, " Sure. I need a friend in these times of peril. Surely, we will get along very well like I said earlier. "
" Can you tell me what happened before I came? " the Kree-Lizard asked.
" I got abducted and enslaved by the tyrants two months ago, " he replied. " All I have been doing was purely hard labor. Me and my fellow slaves scarcely received any food, drink, or rest. Some of us died in that extreme work environment and I found it unjustly. The exiled Kree elder, Slave 693 planned of this rebellion among us which we decided to break the rules and fight back by disobeying every task. But the slave drivers noticed our actions, so they literally terminated every slave by throwing an explosive to the quarters and some of us would have remained inside the gas chamber and died of poisoning just like earlier. "
Elder Coulson and the Kree-Lizard hybrid exchanged glances and understood of that experience which Jared could have met his fate. The elderly man felt sorry for his grandnephew, but he was pleased as Jared was saved by his rescuer and new friend.
" I understand now, " the old man nodded. " This cruelty is taking us too far. I want to help you guys, but I'm too frail and aging for such adventures I had before. Perhaps, you two and the others can make a difference in saving this world. You're in the right place, people, and time to begin with. It's not too late for you to do it. "
" We will do it, Mr. Coulson, " the Kree-Lizard nodded.
" Sure, Granduncle. We can do this together, no matter what the circumstances are, " Jared added.
" Good, " Coulson smiled.
(Year 2067: Rouen, France, 4:45 PM)
" Interesting that you have met Phil and Jared Coulson through Gladius and Chris, " Carol felt pleased and closed the journal after reading and placing it on the side table.
" Yes, this was how I met them, " the boy answered and nodded. " From then on, we became best friends and worked together in those days. "
" No wonder, why you two are close until now. "
" Well, that incident sparked the beginning of our friendship. "
" That's great! " she happily beamed.
" Jared is actually the closest thing I have to a brother, " he sincerely replied. " If I'm fated to be a human being, I could have experienced normal life with him. "
" Kid, he's one of the greatest people you and I have met. I understood you have gained friendship, " the elderly half-Kree woman said. " Through that, you and him are almost like siblings. Well, he still has his mission in Lyon along with Allen and Karena. "
" That's true. "
" I do want to read and hear more of your stories, " she stood up from her seat and changed topic. " Anyway, it's our turn to cook dinner. We should keep going. "
" Right. Let's go! "
