Untitled Runaways Project chapter 5 (Runaways created by Brian Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. Owned by Marvel)
After the guards carried Zerion away, another group entered the room and asked us about what had happened. There were nine of them. Instead of the dark green outfits the other guards wore, they wore brown suits. Unlike the other guards, their faces were masked. They asked us about what happened with Zerion and I told them all I knew.
" Are your injuries healed?" one of them asked.
" I think they are. I mean, I'm not in pain or anything like that," I answered.
" I recommend that you check out of the hospital as soon as possible. Zerion Niall is not a fighter, but if someone more…zealous tries to take your life, other people may get caught in the crossfire," another one said. This was a woman's voice.
" It is not our fault that security is lax here! If it were not for that idiot security officer, Niall would never have entered the room!" Xavin exclaimed.
" It was a good thing 'that idiot' let Niall into the room. If what just happed took place in the hallway, innocents could have been involved," the woman answered. " We have provided accommodations for the both of you and the rest of the visiting Skrulls," she added.
" I take it that our housing is in a safe location?" Xavin asked.
" Of course. Three lesser members of the Light Brigade are here to escort and watch over you two until the investigation is complete. They are at your disposal. Both our worlds would not want the bloody war to happen again," a deep voice said. With that, six of them left. The remaining three took off their masks and bowed to us.
The three of them looked exactly alike. I figured that they all wore their power limiters because none of them emitted light. What freaked me out was that they looked like older versions of the children from Village of the Damned. I couldn't help but think of brick walls. I moved closer to Xavin and he took my hand.
" Greetings young masters. We have been sent to protect you two from any potential threats on Majesdane. It would be beneficial if we check out now," one of them said. They looked to be in their early twenties. It was strange that everything about them seemed pale when compared to the bright colors and lights I've seen so far. Xavin looked at them calmly and said, " I always thought the Light Brigade was too prestigious to deal with simple tasks of 'body guarding'" he said.
They looked at him and smiled, at the same time. " Well, that is why we are 'lesser' members and not 'superior'. Follow us, please. We'll lead you out," one of them answered. The gestured for us to follow them.
" Hey, can we get your names at least?" I asked. I didn't like the feeling of following a bunch of pale weirdoes without knowing their names. They told us that since they were lower ranking members, they were forbidden to reveal their names to anyone outside of the brigade. Xavin looked irritated at this idea, so I decided to name them myself. The center person was Steve, to his left was Joe, and to his right was Paul. I thought they were easy names to remember. They seemed fine with their aliases.
After the short "christening" they led us to an elevator at the end of the hall. When we entered there were three nurses and a Skrull. The nurses nodded toward Steve and left the elevator. The Skrull bowed down to Xavin with a frantic look on his face.
I am sorry I have failed you, the Skrull said. I tried to arrive after the first attack, but I was not allowed to enter Majesdane for a while. I heard the nurses speaking about a crazy doctor. If only I were here, I could have…I would have killed him for you.
Xavin commanded the Skrull to stand up. He then reassured the Skrull and told him not to be troubled. The Skrull relaxed a little, but seemed revolted at the three Majesdane soldiers.
" Oh Karolina, this is one of my main bodyguards, Z'ryk. He is supposed to be on a short break, but I see that he couldn't bear to be away from me!" Xavin said in a teasing manner. That must have been the first time I heard him say something close to a joke.
I felt the elevator descend and Joe walked over to my side. " You know, your parents have almost reached a legendary status for what they have done. For the good and the bad," he said.
I didn't know what to think of this. I thought I knew my parents before the whole disaster but it turns out I hardly knew them at all. Since the incident with the Gibborim there were times where I actually thought that life was better with them around. I didn't have to worry about anything. I just want to go back to that sometimes. The biggest thing I had to worry about then was keeping up with schoolwork. For crying out loud, school is nothing compared to wars between planets. I miss those days so much. At that moment I wished that I could just go back home and be with my friends.
" I'm sorry, I wish I could say something noteworthy but I don't have an opinion on that. I hardly knew my parents. Much less on whatever they did here," I instinctively held the wrist where the bracelet used to be. " If anything, you probably know more about them than I do!" I added. I tried to force a laugh, but it sounded fake.
I can see right through that laugh, girl, Z'ryk said. Xavin whispered something to him and he nodded. I simply looked at him and back at Joe.
There goes my acting career.
" You actually understand the Skrull?" Joe asked.
" Well yeah, Xavin…found a tutor," I answered. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Xavin shifted his weight slightly when the question was asked.
" My compatriots and I can only understand pronouns and swears. Good for you," he said.
We finally reached the ground level. Unlike the floor we were originally in, this place was packed. Movement was everywhere. Uniformed doctors and nurses all over were dealing with something. Once someone entered the hospital, there seemed to be a hospital worker ready to greet that person. It seemed very efficient.
When we reached a receptionist, she was already prepared for us. She gave Xavin and I a few things to sign and in a few minutes we were out of the hospital. Steve, Paul, and Joe led us to what seemed like a parking lot. The "cars" weren't exactly "parked." Each automobile in the area was suspended in midair. I couldn't see any chains or rope holding the vehicles up. Looking up, there were rows and rows of cars just hanging there.
" All right then, let's go. Our vehicle is on the highest tier so, we'll have to fly up there," Paul said. The three of them took off their power limiters and emitted a strange light. Unlike the others I've seen, it was as if they were shadows instead of beings of light. Their glow was mostly black with the occasional red and purple. They began to fly upwards and I followed them.
" Uh, Karolina…I haven't mastered flight yet and Z'ryk isn't a Super Skrull…" Xavin said. He had a defeated look on his face.
" Don't worry about it Xavin," I said. I picked him up while Steve grabbed Z'ryk. We flew up several flights of cars until we reached the top. The automobiles on this level were pretty big. They looked a little more extravagant than the ones on the lower level. Steve whistled a short tune and one of the vehicles moved over to where we were. We all entered while Joe entered the driver's seat.
" There are a few things I need to pick up in the Ison," Xavin said.
" Understood. We'll go there first," Joe said. He started the automobile and we were off. The scenery around Majesdane was amazing. The view from my hospital room didn't do justice to it. It was the middle of the afternoon and they sky was giving off a brilliant mix of orange, yellow, and bright red.
From a distance, I was able to see rows of ships. When the view became clearer, Xavin asked Joe to land near the Ison.
" Your ship looks quite nice, but I don't think it can stand up to our world's technology," Steve said.
" Say what you will, after all, you are entitled to your opinion. What you think has no bearing in my thoughts," Xavin said. I didn't know if he was joking or not, but Steve let out a small laugh.
" Wasn't that a little mean?" I whispered to him. Ever since the second meeting with Hyle Etia, he seemed a little strange.
" I will explain later," he answered. We entered the Ison together while Steve, Joe, Paul, and Z'ryk stayed outside. When the entrance to the Ison closed behind us, Xavin let out a sigh and transformed into a female.
" Is there something wrong, Xavin?" I asked. She opened a door to her left and asked me to follow her. In the next room there were rows of lockers and trunks. Each of them was bolted to the floor of the ship. She knelt by one of them and opened it.
" I just wanted to give you this," she said. She took out a small box from the trunk and handed it to me. I opened it and inside was a silver and gold necklace.
" Thank you, it's beautiful. I…don't have anything to give to you…" I felt strange getting a gift without giving something back in return.
" It's all right, Karolina. I bought it with you in mind and I expect nothing," she said. She took the necklace from my hands and put it around my neck. I turned around and wrapped my arms around her.
" You scared me for a bit there, Xavin. I thought something bad happened or something," I said.
" I'm fine, Karolina. I intend on living a nice full life. What about you? That incident with Zerion… I'm sorry I wasn't there. If I only—"
" Look, even if you were with me, he probably would have done the same thing. I'm all right," I said. I leaned my head back and noticed that she was avoiding my gaze.
" There's something bothering you, isn't there?" She broke away from my arms and closed the trunk.
" I already told you that I'm fine. I think I just need some rest, all right?" she said with a slight tinge of irritation.
We left the room and at the corner of my eye, I saw that one of the computer monitors was flickering.
" Er, Xavin, is that supposed to be on?" I grabbed her arm and she looked over to the monitor.
" It is not supposed to be on unless there is an emergency…lets see…" She sat by the computer and an image appeared on the screen. It was one of Ewe's children.
Hello Xavin (stop) I tried to contact my parents, but none of them have replied (stop) If you get this message please contact me (stop) I hate the new tutor (stop)
" So that little snot will only talk to me if he needs help…"she trained off and began to answer the message.
I will see what I can do (stop)
" Xavin, at least you still have people you can call family. You may not trust them, but at least they're still here. Everyone I've cared about isn't with me anymore…" Geez, I missed my friends like crazy. At that moment I would have given up everything to be back on earth. I was a little annoyed that Xavin didn't appreciate what she still had.
" I don't know what to say, Karolina, but my family…you don't know them the way I do. If it is any consolation, the solar flares around Majesdane will not be very active for the next few weeks. You can send transmissions to your friends now, if you want," she said. She stood up and gestured to me to sit. " I'll wait for you outside."
I sat and thought about what I would say to them.
Hey guys its me (stop) I finally made it to Majesdane (stop) Things aren't too hot here (stop) I hope I can help make things better (stop) All the best K (stop)
I left the ship and saw that everyone was right by the entrance of the Ison. They greeted me and we all went over to the car. Xavin took my hand and helped me in. She whispered an apology into my ear. I gave her a small smile and we sat together. The car ride was uneventful, but after a short while the scenery around us began to change. The tall buildings grew into smaller and smaller ones until mountains surrounded us.
" How long until we actually need to get where we need to be? It's as if we're in the middle of nowhere," I said.
" When we said we were going to send our Skrull guests to a safe place, we meant it," Paul answered.
" Government officials are sent here in case of emergency, so it is doubtful that the radicals know of this place," Joe added.
We were surrounded by tall mountains, which all reflected the image of the vehicle we were in. Joe instructed us to close our eyes and hold onto the sides of our seats. I felt the car move very quickly, and even with my eyes shut, I could tell that a bright light of some sort surrounded us. The vehicle shook a little but it soon settled and the light faded away.
I opened my eyes and saw that we were inside a lot filled with vehicles similar to ours. Groups of Majesdane soldiers and Skrull soldiers stood sternly around the edges of the lot.
" Follow us. We'll lead you to where you need to be," said Steve.
" We need to be somewhere?" I asked. The three of them have been very vague about where we were going. Xavin also looked a little apprehensive. She also looked really tired for some reason.
" Well, with saving Hyle Etia and surviving an assassination attempt, the press are craving an interview with you. There's a pressroom not far from here where select members of the media are waiting to ask you questions, Ms. Dean. They are trusted members of the media, so there is no need for you to worry," he said.
Since when could the media be trusted? When my parents were still around, the paparazzi followed them everywhere. They would always try to find something negative to say about them. I always hated the whole "stars without make-up" articles crappy tabloids usually have. I mean, doesn't have anyone have anything better to do?
" Whatever you say, Steve," I said. They led us through a series of halls. There were skrulls lounging around the halls, and all of them bowed in Xavin's direction. She transformed into her male form and acknowledged their salutes. At the end of the third hall, we entered a room where there were about six or seven people sitting demurely on floating chairs.
" We three lesser members of the Light Brigade are here to introduce the Skrull heir and his bride-to-be," Steve, Paul, and Joe said in unison.
Joe led us to a pair of seats facing the group. Before we sat, Z'ryk urged Xavin to be on his guard. Xavin simply nodded lazily and sat next to me. He then cleared his throat and began to speak.
" I am here due to the fact that I want there to be peace between our worlds. Of course, the majority of the people on Majesdane want the same, but to the few of you who still are uneasy about the presence of my people, we are here to answer your questions," Xavin said. He didn't look as tired as before, but I could still see he was still trying to stay awake.
The reporters' questions were tame at first. Most of them had to do with Xavin's reaction to the attacks and his thoughts on Majesdane. They asked me about my parents, but since I knew close to nothing about them, I just said the best I could.
" I don't know much of what my parents did here, but on Earth they…did the best they could to raise me. They made some bad choices, but there wasn't anything I could do about that," I said.
The reporters looked unimpressed with my answer. I guess they were expecting something more dramatic. The truth is, I just didn't want to take to a bunch of strangers about the Gibborim and their plans to destroy earth. They didn't need to know that.
" All right then…this question is for the Skrull prince. It's clear that you look down on the attacks on the prime minister. Of course, the leaders of both our worlds were in danger. What do you have to say about the remains of the bombs?" a report asked.
" I am afraid I cannot comment on that. I know nothing of the attacks. It's news to me that the event was done by a bomb and not some sort of a projectile," he answered.
The reporter had a growing smug smile on his face. His fellows also looked as if they hit pay dirt.
" Didn't you know that bomb specialists on both sides have discovered that the bomb is of Skrull technology? Of course everything else is still under investigation, but it is what we have heard," the reporter said.
I couldn't believe my ears. I looked of at Xavin and he looked just as shocked. He looked over to Z'ryk and the three Light Brigade officers. They also had surprised looks on their faces.
" Well, I cannot comment on that either. I did not hear of this because I have just arrived from the hospital. There was no way I would have been able to hear of that sort of news. I will discuss this with the Skrull council as soon as possible…that's all I have to say about the matter…" Xavin then stood up and I followed him out.
" None of you knew this was going to happen? They nearly tore me apart. It was a good thing that there weren't any broadcasts…." Xavin then leaned against the wall and rubbed his temples.
" Look, I assure you that we didn't know of that either. That news shocked me as well…I'll have to contact my superiors for more information on this," Steve said He took out a small device from his side and a small hologram was projected on it. He spoke to it about the news on the Skrull bombs and the hologram disappeared.
" They'll contact us later," he said. Xavin looked angry and nervous at the same time.
I didn't know what to think of this. I found it hard to believe that Xavin had anything to do with the attacks. How were the reporters able to hear of this before we did? Xavin is royalty. For him to be kept in the dark about something like this is strange.
" I cannot wait…where are my council members located? I'll need to speak with them immediately about this."
" They higher council members are a few floors above us. I'm not sure if they know of this —"
" I don't care! If they don't know, then I will tell them. Just lead me to them!" Xavin commanded.
Steve, Paul, and Joe moved ahead of us and within a few minutes we were on the next floor.
" Z'ryk, Joe, will you two stay with Karolina? I'll have Steve, Paul and one of my crew members accompany me to meet with the council," Xavin said. He turned toward me and said, " Sorry Karolina, but I can't have you join me. I need to face them myself…"
With that he left us to speak with the other Skrulls. " He's in trouble…he just probably want you to see him in such a low moment," Joe said.
" Yeah, you're probably right," I said. I wanted to believe that, but Xavin has been acting weird. I ran my fingers through the necklace and looked up at Z'ryk and Joe. " So, what will we do while we wait?" I asked.
They looked at each other and then spoke at the same time. "Actually, I wouldn't mind eating something/ Is it too much to ask for something decent to eat?"
I let out a small laugh and agreed. I haven't eaten since the morning and it felt that it was almost nighttime (I couldn't really tell, but it felt that way). Joe said that we would be able to eat near the top end of the mountain. He grabbed Z'ryk by the pits and began to fly upward. I just noticed that the ceilings of each floor were very high up. About every eight feet there was a removable gate that would lead to the next floor. After moving several flights up, we were in a dining hall.
" Why didn't we just do this before?" I asked.
" My brothers and I noticed the Skrull heir looked somewhat dejected with you carrying him. He has lost his family and is going through much pressure with everything that is going on. He doesn't need feelings of uselessness," Joe answered. He put Z'ryk down who looked at Joe angrily.
" The-young-master-does-not-need-your-sym-pathy," Z'ryk said.
" On the contrary, I think he needs all they compassion given to him. All eyes are on him, after all. He is young and not as experienced as his elders. I think support is what he needs the most right now," Joe said. Z'ryk looked like it was taking every fiber of his being to stop himself from attacking Joe.
" Hey, let's not get hot-headed here. We're all probably just hungry so lets not do anything that we'll regret later on…" I said. Z'ryk calmed down a bit and nodded.
Joe led us to a table and I was mindful to sit between them. An attendant came over to us and asked for our orders. I didn't know what to say and Z'ryk just gave the attendant a blank stare.
" Well we'll have three astral flashes," he said. The attendant smiled, nodded, and then left.
" What is it that you just ordered?" I asked.
" Oh, it's a delicacy around here. There isn't any meat in it, so you don't need to worry about that sort of thing," he said.
I asked him if he knew anything else about my parents, but he said he would share what he knew later on. This annoyed me a little. Why not just tell me now? I asked him again and this time his answer was a little more satisfactory.
" All I feel compelled to tell you is that they were caught selling arms to some trade competitors. They were warned to stop, but they were caught again. The second time they were caught it was discovered that they were also giving away military secrets to several planets around this system. I would say more, but I see the attendant coming."
The waiter arrived with three plates, all of which were on blazing, but it didn't feel hot.
The food is on fire. This is ridiculous.
" Yeah, it does look a little weird," I said.
" Is that what he said? Well, the flame is just an illusion. Blow on it lightly and the dish will be revealed," said Joe. He demonstrated what to do, and the flames disappeared. Z'ryk and I did the same, and began to eat. I thought that whatever it was tasted a lot better than the hospital food.
After we ate, we left the dining room and looked for Xavin. He was standing with Steve and Paul at the end of the hallway and waved at us.
" Did everything go well?" I asked
" My uncle has been told of the news, and it turns out that it is also the first that he has heard of it. The Council was also just informed about it. To solve this problem, we're still working with Majesdane to catch the group that did the attacking. From there we'll see where they obtained their weapons from," he said.
" Shall we head to our rooms? I feel exceptionally tired right now," Xavin asked.
" Of course, young sir," Steve said. Paul and Steve began to fly upwards, while Joe took Z'ryk. I heard Xavin sigh softly before I put my arms around him and flew. After flying a couple of floors up, Xavin began to feel heavier.
" Hey Xavin, are you all right?" I asked. There was no reply. I looked down and saw that his eyes were closed. He probably fell asleep, so I didn't say anything more.
Steve stopped flying and told us that this was where the Skrulls in higher positions were staying. Joe placed Z'ryk down, where Z'ryk muttered a few curses under his breath.
" Open your eyes Xavin, we're here," I said. He still wouldn't move.
" We're always 'here'," I heard him mutter. I felt his body get hotter and hotter, up to the point where I couldn't hold on to him. I placed him on the floor, and pretty quickly it looked as if his body was on fire.
" What the hell is going on?" I yelled. Paul tried to grab Xavin, but his suit could not tolerate the heat for too long.
" I'll find help," he said. Z'ryk offered to go with him, and soon they were off.
Steve and Joe took off their power limiters and tried to carry Xavin with their energy. It seemed to help a little, because the flames began to recede. In a short time the flames were gone, but the moment they vanished, Steve and Joe were knocked back against the walls of the hallway. Steve tried to get up, but it seemed that whatever knocked him back, did so again. I then lost sight of Xavin because he turned invisible.
" Where are you?" I pleaded. I felt the space around me, but there was nothing there.
" My ghost is looking for you," a voice said. It was Xavin's female voice. I could barely hear it, but I tried to move in the direction it came from.
" What do you mean?" I asked. I hoped for a louder answer, but the voice was still soft:
" I don't know anymore."
I saw Xavin's figure reappear. She stood quietly for a short moment and then began to collapse. I caught her before she hit the floor. Z'ryk and Paul arrived with several Majesdane and Skrull guards.
" Please Xavin…"
Her eyes were still closed but she muttered very softly to me: My ghost is looking for you.