Remnants
Episode 5: The End of All Things

"You will all relocate to the lower levels, to the bowels of our ship, were you will be safe. I ask only that you go in peace and order, there is no need for panic, I will take care of things." said the calm deep voice of the High Evolutionary. Twenty thousand human beings listened in silence, ready to follow their saviour's orders. "Ms Harkness, Ms Szardos and her daughter will lead and aid you. Leave your possessions and hurry." The humans slowly began to disperse. And, as they did, Pietro Lensherr asked "You're planning on leaving the planet?"
"Alas that we could... but bo, our ship sustained great damage during our battle with the Kree. With magic we merged it to the mountains, but without Strange we cannot restore it..."
"So..., why hide in the bowels of our ship?" said Pietro imitating the High Evolutionary's voice.
"Because it is more shielded than the normal caves..." responded the master genetist without smiling.
Lila Cheney watched in silence as the people began retreating. It was astounding the way they had all followed orders without hesitation. Perhaps the witches had something to do... but no... that didn't feel right. This people truly loved the High Evolutionary, they really believed he was a God. Then again, she remembered how they had assembled such enormous cuantity of people. These people were willingly believers of the High Evolutionary's Church of Humanity. However her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Illyana yanked her hand. "You ok kid?" asked Lila, tilting her head downwards.
"Yes... but that woman needs you... us..." she said, pointing at the crowd.
Lila directed her eyes were Illyana pointed. At first she saw nothing out of the ordinary, just people. But then, she saw her. The strange blonde/purple haired woman. She was standing behind her brother's wheelchair, her eyes closed. Lila picked Illyana up and begun to walk towards the strange couple, her heart beating faster as she did. "Are you ok?" she asked, forcing herself hard not to sttuter.
Elisabeth Braddock opened her eyes, surprised to see the woman in front of her. "Yes... I was... meditating... waiting to go down." she forced a smile.
"Go sis, starchild and demongirl can take care of me" said Jamie, his black eyes twinkling. Illyana smiled at him and he smiled back.
"Are ... are you sure?" asked Elisabeth, turning to face him.
"Yes. I will not harm anyone, nor anyone will harm me, right Starchild?" Jamie's sparkling eyes turned to Lila.
"Of... of course... if you need to go somewhere, we can take care of him." she replied instantly.
"C'mon sis... they're like us. We're not alone anymore."
"Oh, all right. I'll... I'll be right back... just have to... I'll be right back." and Elisabeth Braddock dissapeared in the crowd, running in the opposite as anyone else.
"I'm Illyana. This is Lila." said Illyana jumping down from Lila's arms and extending her hand.
"I know. I'm Jamie." replied the man, shaking her hand
Lila Cheney began to steer the wheelchair, following the crowd. "Your sister...where did she...?"
"Even if she doesn't want to admit it... she's a hero... she's going to save all of us." replied jamie, sounding like a boy full of pride.

The situation outside was in deep contrast with the calmness inside. Galactus the devourer stood next to the mountain range, slowly assembling his machine with the infinite power of his mind. Kree ships flew around, firing at him, at his machine, but the Silver Surfer, herald to Galactus, did not allow any harm to befell his master, flying between the Kree ships, obliterating them from the skies.
"He's too powerful! He'll destroy the entire armada!" cried Commander Tar-Vash taking a step backwards
"Then you'll be destroyed as well, but with pride in your heart!" said Ronan pushing him forward, towards a ship "Fight weasel!"
Tar-Vash gulped and followed orders, as Ronan the Accuser turned around. "You humans are going to do anything or are you goin to let us all die?"
Dr Strange furrowed his brow and began to levitate, followed by Storm, Sunfire, Exodus and Nighthawk.
"I'll join you as well" said Captain Mar-Vell
"The more the merrier" added Nighthawk smiling
Tigra watched in silence as her friends left. Spider-Woman was tending to the downed Dazzler and Hellcat and the Taskmaster hugged each other next to the werecat woman. "I hate this... we can't help at all" said the Taskmaster, removing his cowl
"Face it Tom..., " said Tigra, her eyes fixed on the darkening skies "...against being like these, we are less than nothing."
"Indeed. I couldn't have put it better." added Ronan, looking up at the heroes.
The Silver Surfer soared around, downing the last ships, when he found himself wrapped by a red ball of energy.
"The Crimson Bands of Cytorrak won't hold him for long!" said Dr Strange, appearing within the Surfer's sight range "Be... ready..."
The mystic bands erupted in a million pieces, as the Surfer broke free "What is this madness? Who dares oppose the wielder of the power cosmic?" he shouted enraged, his eyes blank and furious
"Just us, humans..." said Exodus releasing a blast of pure telekinetic energy from above, felling him to the ground.
As he hit the ground, lightning fell from the skies, as photonic energy and atomic flame found his mark at the same time, the combined attack of Storm, Captain Mar-vell and Sunfire.
For a second, the after-effect of their multiple attack did not allow them to see its results, but Ororo conjured a gust of wind that quickly dissipated the dust. The Silver Surfer stood unharmed as his board floated behind him. "Is that all you've got?" he said as he jumped on his board and fired a blast of the power cosmic to his foes, engaging them in battle.
"This is impossible..." murmured Hellcat as she watched Ronan running towards the battle against the Surfer. "Even if they beat him they'll never stop the giant in time..."
"Perhaps we should warn my father..." said Spider-Woman
"I think he already knows..." Tigra pointed at the mountains, where the High Evolutionary lifted a weird scepter-like device, which pointed to his heart. Energy began to flow from the scepter, filling the High Evolutionary and, impossibly, he began to grow in size and power.
"What's goin on?" asked the Taskmaster, his hand gripping his sword tighter.
"He's doing it... he's using his Isotope E..." said Spider-Woman in shock
"His what? What is he doing?" asked Hellcat turning to see her friend.
"He's turning into a god..." replied Spider-Woman briefly, tears forming in her eyes, knowing what would happen to her father, regardless of the outcome of the battle.
"I will crush you, swine!" said Ronan releasing the fury of his universal weapon.
The Silver Surfer lifted his hand, absorbing the power. "Kree? This planet harbors more than one race?" He asked. Suddenly an explosion made him turn around. A couple of hundreds Skrull appeared as if from outta nowhere and began firing at Galactus machine. "Skrulls too?" pondered the Surfer, while the heroes continued to fire their powers at him, causing him no harm. Galactus turned his eyes to the Skrull and fired a single beam of red energy, which completely destroyed all of the shapechangers.
Ronan did nothing to hide his smile as the Skrull died.
Elisabeth Braddock hid behind a rock, meters away from the cave system's entrance. Her powers had not deceived her. She could see Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff, moving towards the Defenders atop a mountain not far from there. And there, amidst the fight with the Silver Surfer, was Ororo Munroe, the windrider herself. It had been almost twelve years since she last saw them, but there was no mistaking them. She took a deep breath and headed towards Storm and the others.
Sunfire's anger resurfaced whilst he saw the Skrull die. Without uttering a single word, he began to fly towards Galactus.
"Shiro!" shouted Storm following him. Strange and Nighthawk followed as well, leaving only Captain Mar-Vell and Ronan to fight the Surfer. Exodus began to follow Storm, but his eyes fell on a young woman running towards the Surfer and his assailants. He landed in front of her, grabbing her arms.
"What are you doing! This is no place for a human! Go back to the caves!" he said
"I am not human, I'm a mutant" Betsy's eyes flashed and in an instant she gained access to his mind, finding little resistance "You have great psi-powers, but your telepathy's in diapers... still you'll have to be enough..." she said as Exodus fell on his knees, his eyes blank as she explored his mind and powers.
The High Evolutionary reached the same height as Galactus at last. The Isotope E, his most prized invention, had evolved him to godhood. With two gigantic steps he placed a hand in front of the flying heroes. "I will deal with this."
Galactus turned, hearing the Evolutionary's deep voice, and he could not hide his surprise. "Who are you? Galactus is unique, there is only one cursed with the HUNGER!"
"I am human!" shouted the High Evolutionary, swinging a punch at Galactus face. The giant staggered, each movement they made causing great wind and changing the landscape with each footstep. An epic battle began between the gigantic foes.
"Master?" said the Surfer, diverting his attention for a second as he saw Galactus fighting the High Evolutionary.
"Now!" Shouted Elisabeth Braddock. Using her telepathy she forced Ronan and Mar-vell to hit the Surfer in unison, just as she used Exodus' psionic power to channel her own telepathy, entering the Surfer's mind.
Upon entering she found nothing in the Surfer's mind, nothing but an irresistible urge to serve his master's needs. Suddenly, she could feel a presence, buried deep within the white empty confines of the Surfer's mind. She tapped into Exodus' powers, increasing her probes, releasing his power, trying to grasp the hidden thoughts inside the Surfer's mind. Her plan, at first, had been to shut his mind down, but this feeling, this presence, needed to be brought to the surface. She probed deeper, harder, expanding her powers to the limit, using Exodus' psionic energy to do so. And then, as she at last met the psionic block, the barrier that shielded this hidden personna, a blast of pure white light evicted her from his mind. Silence followed for a second, as the giants fought in the distance and the heroes gathered around the downed Surfer.
The Surfer was on all fours, and slowly began to raise, his eyes opened harshly, suddenly, and he spoke, but his voice was no longer cold and ominous, "I... I ... I REMEMBER!" he shouted. A tear fell from his eye. "I am ... I'm Norrin... Norrin Rad of Zenn La..." the Surfer looked at his hands, confused, at the giants figthing in the distance, his eyes focusing on Galactus.
"Zenn La? That planet was destroyed a few years ago..." pondered Mar-vell aloud, as the Defenders joined them as well. Ronan remained impassive, his eyes moving from the Surfer to the giants, to the approaching heroes.
"I remember! I offered my life to save my planet and he took it... but he still ate Zenn La!" shouted the Surfer, pointing at Galactus.
"He will pay." He added after a short silence as the flying heroes arrived as well. The Surfer climbed his board and began to fly towards the battling giants.
"Braddock... is that you?" asked Storm as she descended in front of Exodus, just in time to help him regain his feet.
"Hi Munroe... long time, no see..." Elisabeth responded, feeling weary and tired after breaking into the Surfer's mind.
"Traitor!" Ororo shrieked, her eyes crackling with energy
"Ororo!" said Quicksilver moving forward "She saved us... she used her telepathy on the Surfer... I saw it all"
Ororo lowered her hand, but remained watching Braddock in silence.
"What shall we do now?" said Mar-vell, watching the giants fight, who had their hands locked, pushing each other.
"We wait... and we pray..." said Strange calmly
"Fools and cowards" said Ronan "I will stop them and save us." he added, moving forward, but an energy wave erupted from the battling giants, felling him, and the Surfer as well.
Dr Strange conjured the Shield of the Seraphim once more, shielding his allies from the energy wave.
"I will not budge!" said the High Evolutionary pushing harder than ever, gritting his teeth.
"Hunger fuels me! I will... I will..." but Galactus fel something he had not felt in a long time. As they fought, and their energies coalesced all around them, he felt his hunger slowly decreasing, his thirst for energy being slowly satiated. So he pressed forward, absorbing the energies released by the High Evolutionary, who slowly began to move backwards.
"Thus it begins..." said the ominous voice of the Watcher. The gathered heroes and Kree turned to see him, for they had all but forgotten about his presence. "My name is Uatu. I am from a race of beings called the Watchers. I have come to this planet to observe the event unfolding before us. My duty is served." he said simply, dissapearing, and the heroes turned their eyes to the giants once more, as Galactus grew stronger and the High Evolutionary shrinked.
"Your ... energies... replenishes me... I must have more!" Galactus' eyes flashed as he pressed forward, draining the energies of his foe.
The Defenders watched in silence as their saviour staggered and shrank, and Galactus power grew more and more.
"Father!" cried Spider-Woman, but Hellcat stopped her from moving forward..
It took mere moments, and the High Evolutionary fell, his godlike power spent utterly, and Galactus felt his hunger satiated at last. However, the purple giant felt something he had never, in his long existence, felt before. Alongside his foes energies he managed to absorb somethign more, something he did not know. And he felt the grief and pain of those below. For a reason he did not comprehend, he could feel their grief as his own, their pain. Somehow, those who once were nothing but insects to him, now meant the entire world, and he felt the need to explain himself.
"He was a strong being. His energies have satisfied my hunger and will last for years. I will not eat this planet."
"But you did eat Zenn La! You used me!" cried the Silver Surfer, flying towards him and firing the most powerful blast of the power cosmic he could muster.
Galactus merely raised his hand and stopped the blast "The Power Cosmic cannot be turned against its creator. It is mine to give, as it is mine to take." and he closed his hand and the Silver Surfer stopped in his tracks, energy pouring from him, and Galactus spoke again. "I have done a terrible thing to you, Norrin Rad. You might not believe me, but I am sorry. I hope you find new life in this orb." As as easily as it began, the Silver Surfer's power cosmic abandoned him, and he was a herald no more. He was simply Norrin Rad. Galactus grabbed his former herald in mid-air and gently deposited him on the ground, near the Defenders, as he also lowered the unmoving human body of the High Evolutionary.
The Defenders moved forward as one, while the X-Men and the Kree remained behind.
"I have learned much on this journey. A seed has been planted in my heart. Nothing will ever be the same." said Galactus, as Spider-Woman crouched next to her father and hugged him.
Galactus lifted his hand and his machine disassembled, and he turned to the heroes once more. "I must leave now, but I will not do so alone." He pointed a finger at Ronan and energy enveloped the Kree Accuser. "You are a creature of evil, of pure malice. I will do what I can to reform you as a payback for my sins. You will be my new herald." and Galactus teleported Ronan to his spaceship and began to levitate towards the skies. "Fare thee well Defenders. Shall we never meet again" And so Galactus left with Ronan, and the X-Men and Mar-vell moved closer to the Defenders, where the only sounds were Spider-Woman's sobs. And then, very slowly, the High Evolutionary spoke
"Do... do not be sad my child... it had to be done... my power... my power fed Galactus... and hopefully... hopefully he will not eat inhabitated planets again. A seed was planted today... for ... alongside my power... Galactus absorbed a shred of my... humanity." And the gathered heroes watched in silence as their saviour died at last. And the X-Men could not stop thinking how they were going to return to Earth now that the High Evolutionary was dead.

Episode 6: Funeral and Farewell