Chapter 4: Welcome to Terra
A/N: Here it is my very limited viewers, the next chap, please enjoy and shout out to DARKLORDVADER who loves this story. Very interesting choice of ideas by the way. :) Oh, and I almost forgot one to Tenza as well for being impressed. Hachiko33200 for leaving the first review and Alwayschillin98, if you're still reading this you won't be disappointed. To those who are wondering how to pronounce S.O.C.A.'s name, you say it like you would say Ahsoka, the Chosen One's apprentice from Star Wars but you take out the "Ah" and just leave the "soka". Sorry if ya'll got confused and thought her name sounded like "Sock" with an a at the end.
It had been a little over two years, two years since the great fight now known as the battle of New York had taken place. Two years since The Avengers have made themselves known to the world and put an end to the treacherous plan of Loki. Of-course for Steve Rogers, things just couldn't get any better as his team officially split for the moment and he now lived a current life as Captain America, The First Avenger, famous war hero now strict and dedicated member of S.H.I.E.L.D. It truly was a different life from what he used to live, living in a modern world where everything was complex, and everything he knew, everything he thought was the peak of Humanity's advances was nothing but a stage to greater things. He had made many dare he say it, friends along the way. Having developed a good friendship with one of the world's most iron-willed and deadliest women, another with the son of someone who was once known as one of the greatest futurists who ever lived, a skilled archer slash spec ops killer, a tormented expert in Gamma radiation, and believe it or not a convincing demi God of Thunder from another dimension. He couldn't forget the strong leader who thawed him out of his slumber along with the assistant director of the organization he worked for.
He had so much to catch up on, so many things he missed out on during his time in the ice. Like music, news, wars that he didn't take part in, and the advances of theatrical films and television. But if Tony Stark could manage to fight off psychotic experimental humans with an army of what was once a team of Iron man suits, then he could defiantly endure the burden of absorbing what he took no part of.
The world was full of crazy things, things that not everybody would truly understand unless they were taken and stripped of everything before standing up and say, "I still live, I still breath."
The perfect definition of what The Avengers represented to those who pledge themselves to evil.
Planet Earth- Year of 2014- Washington D.C.
"Alright Sam, Duty calls, Thanks for the run…..if that what you call running." Steve finished with a usual tone of sarcasm.
"Oh that's how it is?"
"Yeah that's how it is."
"Ok then, but any time you wanna stop by the VA and make me look like a badass in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know." A Sam Wilson spoke with boldness in his voice.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Just then the loud engine of a black 2015 Corvette could be heard in the small street behind them. They turned around and watched as the window rolled down revealing a calm and stoically faced Natasha Romanoff.
"Hey fellas." Her straight red hair glistened in the hot sun. "Either of ya'll know where the Smithsonian is I'm here to pick up a fossil." She finished with a curve of her perfect lips. Steve casually walked towards her.
"Hilarious." He opened the door and crouched down to fit into the compacted expensive leather. She looked past his shoulder to see Sam.
"How you doing?"
"Good."
Steve interrupted their eye contact.
"Can't run everywhere."
"No you can't." Sam grinned and that being said, they drove off, eager to start their next mission.
Thor stroked a long lock of hair of the women he loved as she laid in a deep slumber in her bed. He had returned to the women who stole his heart greatly and took this time to be with her as he honored his stay to undo what his now dead brother had done two years prior. The death of the women who conceived him, Asgardian Frigga, who now laid in rest among the Cosmos didn't sooth things with his memories of his home world. But here he was now, cherishing these moments for they would not last for all of eternity. He took this time to strip himself of his metallic boots and torso armor, leaving him in his dark soft pants and blue shirt hugging his pectorals and shoulders with tone. He climbed into the bed and Jane instinctively in her sleep reached for his arm to bring it around her chest causing him to press his body against her side. She resumed her slumber as Thor now concentrated in entering the world of dreams.
But before he did. He recalled the particular conversation he had with Heimdall before he left for Midgard. The look on the all-seeing being's face was one that no one, not even his father usually witnessed. Astonishment and extreme precaution.
"Heimdall, my friend, what is on your mind?" the prince asked as the guardian stared into the void of space in the direction of Earth with an expression that was anything but soft. But of-course the dark skinned man merely replaced his features with a smile before turning to face him.
"I know that there is no challenge too great for you to handle my good friend….but when the time comes for you to leave for her again I imply that you beware what lurks past our realm."
"Yes, Midgard will never be the same after what Loki and Malekith did, such devastations take time to heal and now Earth has The Avengers….I am aware of what I'm getting myself into."
"Yes you are, but none of that has to do with what has sheltered among Earth." Thor looked puzzled once again.
"What do you mean by that Heimdall, are the Human's suffering a major disaster once again from danger? If so I have no time to waste." Heimdall chuckled earning a raised brow from the prince.
"Danger? Of course not."
"Than what is it?"
"The Sun is alive my friend…..A Goddess is now living in secret among them."
Both of Thor's eyebrows raised up. He begged for his friend to continue.
"Many years ago, by Earth standards I felt a presence unlike no other. It wasn't Human, it wasn't Asgardian. I must admit it was rather difficult to see her. What she truly was….I had no established connection." The revelation put the hairs on the back of Thor's neck to a point.
"This presence has been sleeping for as long as the Humans have been evolving into their society of today. Just now recently she has awoken…and the power radiant off her my friend…..is beyond complicated." He finished with a grin.
"You are saying there is a Goddess on Midgard?"
"The power with potential equivalency to one yes."
"Is she a threat?"
"That I cannot say, for even I am not sure."
"Let us keep this between us Heimdall, no one should know about this."
"I am sorry my friend, but I have already discussed this topic with the King."
"What was his opinion about this?"
Heimdall stared at him with his dark eyes.
"He stated it was impossible, that no one among the nine realms are celestials, we are guardians, not gods he told me."
"Perhaps he was right…..let us not jump to conclusions here. Only the future knows what is truly in store. Safe passage my friend." The red caped warrior tapped his shoulder before turning his back to make his leave.
Thor looked up at the ceiling as his flash back ended.
"The Sun is Alive?" he repeated in question before he buried his face in the long locks of his love Jane Foster, the world of dreams finally gripping his soul.
The Sun….was not alive. They were wrong, they were all wrong. The Sun, was not alive.
Forty years, it had been a little over forty Earth years since the extinction of the Kryptonian Race, forty years the red giant now stood alone in the empty solar system. Not a trace of what was left of the planet could be found drifting in the vacuum, for there was none.
The Sun was not alive but there was someone who was near it. The small pod had made quite a home of the star as it circled around, the torrents of hot plasma that would've incinerated it if not for the advanced technology protecting it and harnessing the energy into the life form sleeping in it. Inside the pod there was a small, thin built girl, who would've been mistaken for a Terran in a royal blue metallic uniform with a trim of red and gold around her waist. A marvelous and massive crimson cape too big for her body was wrapped around her legs that were bare except for the diamond cuffs around her knees and polished thickened heeled boots the color of her cape. Upon her chest was a red and gold diamond prisoned crest containing a slithering ancient depiction of a solar serpent. The girl had features of an absolute young beauty. A strong jaw line plastered below her skull and soft closed lips were pampered with a button nose including four small freckles across the bridge. She had the appearance of a young early adult coming out of adolescent hood. The only thing that seemed to have changed since the moment she entered the solar system was her hair. Before it was the color of light blonde with a straight length just below her chin, but now due to her body absorbing the yellow solar energy it was long and majestic, going past her shoulders while maintain its straightened look and the color had become a perfect bright gold.
This was Kara Zor-El, an only living child from a world gone and forgotten. The Last Kryptonian in the universe. The Solar roots attached to her exposed skin finished their purpose and detached themselves from the youngling. They slithered behind her back and ceased their function. It was time.
The pod that had done nothing for the last few decades but rotate around the hot star finally changed its course as it tilted on its axis, away from the Sun. The nanocrystals propelled outward impossibly beating the pull of the most powerful object in the solar system and made its way towards its destination. Just there, several miles away from the star's pull was an enormous ship with giant crystals protruding from side to side. The Kryptonian Armada fleet ship was awaiting its soul commander. S.O.C.A. had self-reactivated.
"Concluding Solar Stasis Protocol."
The pod entered the ejection tube that it escaped from many years ago and descended into the main control room that lit up upon being filled with life again. The nanocrystals slowly lowered the pod into its original place and spread themselves to create a support structure for Kara's encased prison. Had she been awake she would've been startled upon hearing the tri engines blaze to life with raw power. The continuation of the voyage to Earth had resumed. It was a farewell to the Sun as the vessel slowly moved away from it, its colossal figure now intended to get to Earth with the help of the artificial intelligence.
S.O.C.A. propelled the ship past the first two planets in less than an hour and made a quick scan of the globe she had her imaginary eyes on. They had scanning satellites, three of them. The top of the obit, and two on the opposite sides. A simple obstacle for the computer. The ship's cloaking device activated along with its camouflage sensors and sonar detectors. She did not want certain attention to be brought up for her sleeping Mistress. The Armada traveled down the planet, moving past the devices with a symbol resembling a feathered animal of Earth. South, that was the ship's direction. Its huge figure was more than enough to push through the entry of the unknown atmosphere and the engines howled as it received an unwelcome from Terra. A massive landmass could be seen past the clouds underneath the blue sky, a continent known as Antarctica was about to get its first visit from a being not of Earth. The atmosphere changed as the Armada descended from the sky, the temperature dropping massively but the metallic behemoth wasn't phased in the least. Soon it was surrounded by artic temperatures with a much darker sky but not once did the Armada began to freeze or grow ice. The advanced shields took care of it since the moment it visited the Sun.
It was all a remote region, that was for sure, S.O.C.A. had finished a scan of the blizzard waste field and the coordinates were set for the remote mountains residing in the outer south.
"Commencing Landing Procedure." And so it did. The Armada was steered even lower to the ground, grinding and crushing titanic chunks of blizzard formation as it was settling into the tall mountains, with a final exhaust roar the engines ceased once again, cutting off the intense heat melting several of its surroundings. The Fortress had landed. Despite not being a long time since it resumed its normal position, the pod with the help of the nanocrystals propelled straight up through the escape chute once again and it traveled through the tunnel at a fast rate to get on the outside of the ship. Once it did it proceeded to slowly drift in front of the large machinery, going past the crystals and to no one's shock began to float several yards away from the ship. The blizzard made very little progress in slowing Kara's prison down.
A rough patch of snow laid just ahead and the small chamber settled into it face up, waiting for the perfect moment to finally release the Kryptonian.
Hours had gone by slow. The dark atmosphere turning the temperature to where there was no heat for miles. That was of course till the snow storm began to die down, little by little the sound of the heavy breeze got quiet. Over the horizon the clouds started to part, exposing darkish skies but overall bringing some light unto the deserted wasteland. Without further ado the nanocrystals parted, allowing the holo frames of the capsule to open revealing the sleeping Kara. Gravity took its effect on the girl since the pod was slightly faced up and her body fell into the snow, her cape untangling between her legs and her hair going in all directions.
Her hand, her unblemished dainty small hand twitched in the white powder. What felt like an eternity the Kryptonian remained where she was before twitching her digits again and gripping the cold particles, but they didn't affect her in the least. Kara slowly raised her head with the massive lairs of her hair falling into her eyes and cheeks, her eyes were closed still. Like an infant leaving a womb and into into the world, eyes carefully opened, and when they did beautiful bluish orbs were staring into the ground.
"What is this?"
With some tremendous effort she dug her fingers into the snow and wiggled her unused legs to carefully prop herself on her cuffed knees.
"Is this…..a dream?"
With small fingers, she scooped up a wad of snow with both hands, not once feeling the cold in her digits and fingernails.
"It must be so…..I am in a blizzard, there has not been a blizzard anywhere on Krypton since I was a mere small child…..I am not cold, I am not freezing…I feel no breeze…how could this be so?...It must be a dream."
Her hair blew past her eyes giving her a better view of her surroundings.
"My hair…it is longer than usual…..different color indeed."
She dropped the pile of snow and delivered a brush through the lairs of gold on her scalp.
"Am I even on Krypton?"
She looked down to her outfit, her special uniform.
"My Family Crest! Placed upon my breast?"
Kara gave no struggle to stand up on her legs, her boots crunching the ice floor beneath her. The shadow casting over her made her head turn around in the softening wind. Blue eyes widened.
"The Armada…It is here?!"
She turned around again to face the horizon. To her amazing luck beyond the landmass she could see the illumination of a Sun rise. The elegant shine seeming brighter than usual.
"If so, then where on Krypton do I stand?"
What seemed to Kara, Rao's light began to shine across the vast empty fields with the exception of Mountains and turning the surroundings a pure white. A fraction of other parts of the world's heat bathing where she stood. But that fraction was enough to tell her that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The shine of her home world's star, it was not the same. To her horror and grand Amaze it was yellow, an un sinful strong yellow. Horror quickly overcame her curiosity as she stared into the Sun. Breathing, she has not once taken a single breath since she awoke from her supposed sleep into the world of dreams. She bore her Family crest when she knew well that she had not graduated yet. The Armada ship which was pulled from her memories was right behind her. It could only mean one thing.
"I Am awake."
Her pupils began to dilate.
"And this."
Her eyes began to burn, but not hurt her.
"Is not."
They glowed a sickening red before consuming the white of both her eyeballs.
"Krypton!"
She raised her head to the heavens and yelled in distress as two concussive beams of intense heat fired from her visual orbs. Kara looked down and evaporating the ice and snow spread out for miles. Realizing what she was doing Kara brought her hands to her eyes but the situation got worse as the beams didn't cease their destruction and ricocheted off her palms to split them into many directions. The girl dropped to her knees and closed her eyes shut gritting her teeth in the process. This however, did not cease the pressure withering below her eyelids and she was surprised to find that her said lids haven't melted yet right off her flesh
"Enough!" she pleaded to no one in particular.
"Enough!" she grew incredibly scared as to what was happening to her body.
"EEENNNOUUUGHHHHH!" the Kryptonian raised her palms over her head and slammed them into the ground ahead of her. Everything other than what was behind her cratered in at monstrous rates, the white fields descending into the Earth while turning into a pile of massive mush. A crater that spread so far it almost rivaled the length of the Armada.
Kara would've been relieved that her eyes have stopped projecting their now new lethal weapons but she didn't celebrate better yet sigh in relief due to the large quake that she just caused with her hands…..HER hands. And the ground beneath her boots was vibrating at a dangerous rate. She put the situation together before bringing her fingers to her eyes.
"This cannot be…the Star is yellow…..my….my body."
It all sent a massive shiver down Kara's spine as the revelation was at hand. Ever since childhood Kara, along with the rest of the younglings on Krypton were taught about the ancient apex era of Krypton, and the abilities that their bodies inherited from the rays of Rao's once smaller star. Abilities that only the most demented and sickening enemies among the constellations would desire so deeply. It was said that not only were they abilities, but gifts from Rao himself. Gifts that unfortunately would wither away from the eons of the Kryptonians living amongst each other and their bright star becoming a Darker Red Giant. This in turn would render the Race's powers gone from their cellular structure and reduced them to a level that was now classified as mere mortal since Rao's light was too weak to strengthen their cells. In time they all learned to accept their fate and moved on to the next stage of their lives, developing incredible intelligence and entering a stage where their technology was unrivaled by whatever world far in the Galaxy Krypton would associate with from time to time.
For a long time Kara wished that she could've lived during the time of Krypton's early years to see what their ways were like but now that she stood here, in this strange large patch of blizzard demonstrating her inheritance. It brought fear to her heart, especially after the few things she had just done.
"But how could this be so?...the star is yellow!...I am not on Krypton.
Then the hell that she went through struck her heart like a Kryptonite shard.
"I…am…..not….on…..Krypton." she repeated slowly, her memory trying and quickly processing the broken pieces of what she was trying to recall.
Her uniform, her ship, they were here…because this was never a dream.
"Kara…." the words of her father echoed through her skull. "Krypton….is dying."
The girl gasped. Yes indeed, Krypton was dying. She remembered how she tried to contact The Council, and how she was restrained by her own family. She remembered how they had to calm her down to sooth her complete distress before she asked for evidence of such truth to the theory of her Father. To her disappointment her uncle's research was correct. Krypton was dying. But there was more than that, there had to be more than that.
She closed her eyes and pin pointed the moment where she seemed to have lost her hope, and concluded that if there was a perish, she would partake in it with her loved ones. But of course the moment came when her aunt and uncle spoke to her tenderly as though revealing her true purpose and what she was going to do with her time in the universe, and how her Aunt Lara exclaimed that their world was not meant to be exploited or saved.
"I am sorry my dear….but this is where Krypton's Journey ends….and it is merely the start of yours."
Kara cried out as the finally piece was in place and brought her palm up to her neck, automatically feeling the stab that her Mother had given her. That was it. That is what was missing. The recall of her parents sedating her with a surgical metallic tube syringe. It was as if the sedative was still in her and Kara dropped to her knees at the edge of the huge crater while simultaneously remembering her actions upon injection. Her lip quivered when her Mother reversed back to her loving aurora and engulfed her in her arms while crying and regretting her decision. And deep-down Kara knew her Father was cursing himself as well.
"I beg of you both…don't do this to me." The tears developed around the alien's eyes. "If you both love me….then you won't do what you're about to do."
"There is no one we love more than you….which is why this has to happen….you will travel far….my precious infant…but we will never leave you. Even in the time of our deaths. You are Krypton now. There will be no descendant other than you. You will carry out our Race, and our name. When the time comes mourn us. Mourn our kind. Sleep well."
The now long haired girl brought her fingers to her lips, clearly absorbing the fact that her Mother had engulfed her lips with hers, the feeling of Alura's warmth suddenly brushed against her mouth but the tears fell without a doubt. That was the last time she had ever had her eyes open. But the last thing she heard, was just enough to slowly start crushing her spirit.
"Remember us, my living seed." The feeling of something being placed on her right forearm came up before she knew she would fall victim to the sedative. "Remember Krypton."
"Zor-El, her Father, the dedicated brilliant scientist who held her the day she was born, helped cloth her when she was coming out of her stage as an infant. Protected her when all seemed lost, and loved her the way a Father would love his only heir, had bid her farewell…..away from Krypton and onto this unknown world orbiting a yellow star…Because Krypton was no more.
It was never a dream to begin with. The harsh realization of being here now led to one conclusion, Krypton was gone. The words of her Mother were loud and clear. She had been sent away onto another world, rendering her as the last surviving member of her kind. The ache in Kara's chest was unbearable. Her face contorted with tears and sadness while her body trembled.
The last child of Krypton, had lost everything.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she clawed her scalp as she wailed with the moisture running down her face.
"MY WORLD, MY HOME…WHY HAS IT COME TO THIS?!" her voice wasn't sore at all from screaming at the top of her lungs. Kara didn't care if anyone saw her pour her heart out. It was anything but wrong for her to do this.
"MOTHER…..FATHER…WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?!" she sobbed in thought. Why had Alura and Zor done what they did to her? Why did they decided that it was alright to send only one of Rao's children off the phase of the dying world when they could have preserved thousands upon millions? She knew the answer. It was all a rhetorical. Her Aunt Lara deemed her worthy of being sent away while the rest perished because everyone was nothing but a failed product of the corruption that Krypton had become. It was completely foolish in the eyes of Kara. They should have come with her. Why did they do this to her?
The loud sniffles didn't seem like they were going to stop because they wouldn't. She cried, that was all she could do. It was the only thing she could do. Cry from losing her home, her people, her relatives, her precious infant cousin Kal-El, her Mother…her Father.
They have abandoned her.
"Mother." She whispered through intense sobs. "You said you would never abandon me, even in the time of my complete adulthood…..you spoke of always being there for me as I slept in your arms from the moment I could walk…..why…..w…..why have you abandoned me?...WHY HAVE YOU BOTH ABANDONED ME?"
To the horror of many lost souls Kara threw herself from the edge of the sixty-meter trench and shut her eyes at her act of desperation. The caved in ice was nowhere near smooth, jagged ice rocks along with sharp protruding icicles hidden beneath the landmass stood out in all directions. The Kryptonian embraced her end. Her body smashed into the first few massive rocks causing the forms to break upon contact with her head and her back was impaled unto several long splintering crystals resulting in them shattering like fragile glass against her head, spine, cape, and legs. Her form tumbled down by the second, covering her cape in white while destroying any disturbance that laid in her falling wake. She had reached the bottom, her face into the cold snow that did not once matter or wet her hair together despite having large doses of the soft particles in it. Not once did she ever feel the physical pain radiant off her body, for there was none. Kara Zor-El was still alive.
She quickly brought herself to her knees while keeping her head low. Torrents of golden waves touching her cheeks.
"I still live." She reverted to how she was upon the cliff. "I….I still breath." The great endurance the Sun had given her was a result of the solar barrier surrounding her body, hardening her skin cells and strengthening them to enforce her figure harder than any armor Krypton could have developed. She was virtually indestructible, invincible, unbreakable. But that was not how Kara felt.
She had just tried to take her own life. She wanted to reunite with the ones who raised her. Be with the relatives who are most likely resting in Rao's hand. She DID felt broken. She cursed herself for the clumsy attempt. Of-course being on this unknown rock would prevent her from doing things she could've done on her home world. It still hurt just thinking about the fact that Krypton was gone.
"You both abandoned me….you all have abandoned me…." There was no stop to the poor girl's cries. The tears just couldn't and wouldn't stop raining down just when she thought her glands were most likely empty.
"DAMN YOU ALL…DAMN YOU MOTHER…DAMN YOU FATHER….THIS WAS NOT THE WAY…DAMN YOU BOTH….forgive me….please forgive me….I did not mean what I said…I did not mean it…I beg of you forgive me…." Never had she spoken such things. It brought even more guilt from what she said thanks to her outburst. The whimpering got louder and Kara tossed her body into the snow, laying out her figure and continued to cry. Rao had every right to punish her. Not just for what she said. But for the failures she had committed in her life. Now that her world was gone she would never graduate from the trials, she would never get to go into any career field and work hard to show her parents her true potential…..she would never marry, or make love with her destined and bear him children. Her parents would never be grandparents, for they were dead. Was this her punishment? To be alone in this world that her parents had sent her to? To live in isolation on in this blizzard landmass with nothing but the Armanda and her Family crest?
The Family crest, a symbol she was not worthy of wearing. She wanted to desperately remove her uniform and bury it deep into the snow but she couldn't. It was all that was left of Alura In-Ze. It was a gift from her Mother, her beautiful Mother who had achieved many great things. Bringing honor to the House of Ze, marrying Zor to the House of El and adopting his crest, maintained a well-structured and athletic form, and giving Zor a child to his name. That child was her, and she did not deserve to have his name.
There was no tranquility, or peace, or joy in the air. There was only sorrow for Kara Zor-El.
She had been broken, she was broken, lost, and alone. Perhaps this was her destiny. Krypton's last living being enduring the life of an outcast. Krypton had been vanquished, her parents laid in rest, and everything that would've been her future was torn out of her breast. She had no reason to go on. Kara may not be able to cause death amongst herself but she would happily embrace death any moment of any day from this moment forward.
There was a way.
The alien of the world stood slowly on her shaky legs, shifting her feet from side to side. There was a way to take her life.
The Krytonite…..on the ship. Special abilities or not the mineral should be deadly to her, for it affected a Kryptonian's living cells and body.
For a moment, the life returned to the broken child and looked around her, knowing that she was still in the crater she had made from her recently discovered abilities but Kara didn't care about that, she only cared about one thing. Expose herself to the Kryptonite and end her misery as quickly as possible.
It took a moment but Kara had finally managed to walk towards the bottom edge from where she threw herself from, and survived. Her eyes geared towards the sky. The first concentration of her powers where set in her brain. She clenched her fists and focused. She felt light. She felt as if there was no weight on her. The snow around her crimson boots began to vibrate at a slow pace before almost lifting off the ground. Kara did not break her trance and soon what felt like an eternity, she lifted off the ground, her heels dropping small droplets of snow that were rising into the air.
Her cape started to bristle in the wind. The fresh breeze hitting the back of her body but Kara wasn't physically disturbed in the least. She was flying, The Last Kryptonian was flying.
The mysterious yellow Sun she had been revolving around for forty years have given nourishment to her cells, allowing her to manipulate the very gravity on her form. This gave her the decision on whether or not to maintain her feet on the ground, or float in the much less-denser atmosphere she was in, thanks to the young star shining over the horizon.
Kara continued her ascension out of the giant trench she was in. The sound of her massive cape in the wind brought no comfort to her conscious. She focused on rising higher once she was past the cliff and there, just up ahead between two massive mountains was the Armada. Kara smiled through the dried tears on her cheeks and shot her body horizontally through the air at a much faster pace.
Once she was in front of the giant twin crystals she descended upon the left one and placed her feet on the ground. The girl walked to where she now laid just below the colossal structure, remembering that there was a warp teleporter underneath one and without further ado, the technology consumed her, taking her into the ship.
She sighed sadly when she now found herself in a dark empty hallway. It would take her a long time to find the white laboratory. Time that she didn't want and didn't need. She stared at the ground intensively and proceeded to slowly walk down the seemingly endless hallway, her crimson cape dragging in the least on the cold metallic floor. It all seemed frustrated once again until Kara looked down to her forearm and noticed the all familiar looking gauntlet that matched the color of her armor thin uniform.
Her Father's gauntlet. The gauntlet that he had used multiple times on the ship that day before the horrific tragedy.
Coordinates, this could help her with navigation. Wasting to time Kara tapped the encoded crystalized buttons on the gadget and watched as the small holo screen manifested in front of her eyes. Sure enough a map of the entire Armada appeared. Since this was the first time she used such a device she adjusted the settings to where orders would be delivered through voice command, and so it did after the sound of clicks and conformations were heard. Kara chose her words carefully.
"Kryptonite…laboratory."
The tech obeyed it's new user and the map of the ship increased its magnification onto Kara's intended destination. The walls seemingly came to life and nanocrystals began to form on them, creating soft white arrows that would lead Kara to her goal. Happy with the results the girl began her journey on approaching the lab, soon she be with her parents.
The Guardians of the Galaxy, an intergalactic team of mercenaries who have set their differences aside and decided to work together to battle the forces of evil lurking among the stars while also serving the Nova Corp as hired bounty hunters, guns, or killers.
One might say that the team leader was nothing special, but the half Terran known as Starlord, was not a force to be reckoned with. He was a man capable of many great reaches, those great reaches did include the long dark red coat he was wearing. Alongside him was Gamora, a beautiful green skinned alien who distracts anybody for seeing her the way she truly is, a Master Assassin, iron willed, and self-disciplined skilled fighter who betrayed her "father" Thanos to secure the orb that now laid in a safe vault in the Nova Empire. The next member would be a rare humanoid creature resembling a living humanoid tree named Groot. Now normally this would scare even the toughest of soldiers but such actions were not of need considering he was merely a small twig with branch arms in a pot. Having sacrificed himself to save his comrades in a great battle. The second to last member was in fact a real warrior from a planet across the galaxy. He had the appearance of a strong built muscular man with nothing but a pair of dark combat boots and matching war pants. He wore no shirt for it would cover his dark grey skin drawn with exotic red symbols that ran from his abdominals, to his bald head. This was Drax, and he watched intensely next to Gamora as the last member of the team was arguing with Peter Quill. He was a small mammal indeed, having a strong resemblance to an animal of Terra called a Raccoon. This was Rocket Raccoon, a sneaky little pest compacted with cybernetic implants and the mind of a true tech wizard.
The Guardians on board the Milano were busy floating in the middle of an empty solar system with a burning red giant located in the most remote constellations of the Andromeda.
"Now do you understand why it's not good to try to jump that many systems you careless Furby?"
"For the record Star lady, I just installed a system you never had in this piece of crap, I was just testing it alright? And second of all what's a Furby?"
Gamora couldn't take it anymore.
"Can you both just shut the fuck up?" the green skinned women yelled with absolute certain, irritation, stern, and pride. Thanks to Quill she was really getting the hand of the cursing, you just had to pick the moments. The two that were arguing turned their heads to face her.
"Okay first off, you need to stop okay, now you're just cussing out in every sentence."
Rocket agreed.
"Yeah he's right. You just gotta pick your moments but you're just going too far with that Gam."
Peter turned his whole body properly.
"And second of all, how are you no longer frustrated with the fact that this weasel nearly ripped us apart during that massive over the limit hyper jump? Cuz if I'm not wrong your eye balls looked a little too big for your head back there." Rocket snarled through animalistic teeth. Gamora started over.
"Because according to the standard time you've both been at this for the last twenty minutes. Just please give it up. We are not dead are we?"
"Our lady comrade is right my friends." Drax stood up from his seat next to the small table where Groot was watching. "Rocket, like many decisions you have made in the past, this was once again an unwise one. But friend Quill, let us be glad that we are still here, alive and well as a team."
The Milano was silent for a while. The Guardians using their body language as a way to do the steps. Peter sat down in one of the many seats before rubbing the side of his hairy cheek. Sure they worked out a lot of things in the past but all team mates and friends had fights or arguments. The important thing was to talk it out and move on. They were better than this, they weren't children.
"Alright." Quill began in a more civilized manner. "Just….listen man, don't be doing stuff like that again alright? I know you just wanna modify the ship but don't be testing stuff that you know is not safe or certain."
"C'mon Pete, even you must admit that things could change around this place. I mean what we've been at this for almost a year now? I think it's time we step up our game just a little."
"I feel you bro, I really do. But this is the best we got. And it's special to me. So if you wanna tamper with things or dismantle it, at least let me know. Now before this turns into another discussion can we please get out of here before Gamora kicks our asses." Peter stated as if the green skinned beauty was not in the pilot room.
"Well uh, technically we can't. You see the engines over exhausted themselves while we were jumping considering this thing wasn't exactly built for that kinda stuff in the first place, but according to the graphs here we should be up and running in the next…..oh, ten minutes!" The rodent finished with a cheer.
"Well…that's a relief." He leaned back in his chair while putting his boots up onto a small counter. Gamora took this time to see out through the glass view of the ship's beak.
"So, where exactly are we?" Rocket was already on the situation while viewing the screen in his seat.
"Well according to my calculations…..well I'll be damned…..we're nowhere."
The whole team minus the small creature in the pot looked at him oddly. Peter put his boots down before looking at Rocket's screen.
"Whadda you mean nowhere?"
"I mean exactly what I said, we aren't anywhere on the galactic map. We're in some kinda remote space region. Now hold on, don't panic. I can jump us only back to a standard civilization slightly but not completely far from here. But like I said, we pretty much are in the middle of nowhere besides that Red sun up ahead….phew it's getting kinda hot just being in this ship and…"
Gamora eyed his look of change.
"Rocket, what's wrong." The tech wiz eyed his screen while tapping a few conformations.
"Wow….here's another thing you don't see every day." The assassin and leader leaned forward to see what the rodent was talking about. Sure enough on the screen, showing a graph of the solar system they were in, was not something you see every day. Rather far from the star was a gargantuan aroura. Indicating that this was an Orbit Scar. Orbit Scars were incredibly rare in depictions or maps regions that many among the galaxy have traveled. They would be found through scanners as a location where a planet once orbited around its current star. Meaning that the world no longer existed. And what surprised the guardians was the size of the scar, it was huge. So massive that from their position in space, they would've been entering the planet's atmosphere. But there was no planet. Why was there an Orbit Scar so far out in this part of the Galaxy?
Gamora raised her transparent brows in wonder before slightly stuttering.
"It's…it's an Orbit Scar."
"Damn right." came Peter's response.
"But how can there be one all the way out here. Rocket didn't you say this place was practically nowhere."
"Well….yeah but, maybe it was deserted."
Drax came up from behind his seat.
"Judging by its size I must wonder and question your theories my friend, how can a civilization so large abandon its place around this ancient star?"
"Well how am I supposed to know that Drax? All it says here is that it's an Orbit Scar. There's no traces of what once stood here anywhere other than its aura." Peter looked through the glass view with Gamora and Drax now at his side.
"So what, you're saying this planet just…..vanished?" rocket shrugged in surrender.
"By the looks of it man, most likely."
The silence consumed the Milano once again, leaving the team in wonder of just what happened in this unexplored part of the Galaxy. That was until the sound of the engines coming back online consumed their ears. The anticipation rising again.
"Would you look at that eh? That wasn't so long. Alright team, and lady dearest." He playfully insulted Quill. "Fasten your seat belts, we'll be outta here in ten….."
"Don't you dare try to go overboard again Rocket, take us to the nearest stop station."
"Well by the looks of it, it might take eh, four jumps…..just hold on guys." The rest of the group strapped themselves in while Drax clutched on to the small pot that was now looking around with concern.
"Alright, here we go."
The Milano entered the hyper jump and disappeared through the opened vortex that would take them away from this system. Soon enough the dying Star's first visitors in years were gone from its presence.
This was it.
She was standing in front of the lab's shuttle doors that contained the very thing that could most likely still cause harm to her.
A laboratory containing the last known samples of the dreaded Kryptonite.
The doors opened when Kara gave the order through her gauntlet and walked into the all too familiar white room. The shrine of the capsules containing the poisoning mineral laid just underneath their prison. Kara slowly walked towards the capsules, her resistance was not present in her body language.
She wanted this.
She just wanted all of this to end. She didn't care what would happen to the Armada, she didn't care of the lectures she had been given her whole life. All she cared about, was reuniting with her fallen loved ones. She didn't want to be alone. The thought of simply being alone was just too unbearable.
There was no way for The Kryptonian Race to continue after her. Her people might have been advanced but they could not reproduce under any unnatural methods that alone create life asexually. It wasn't possible and Kara was not going to carry this burden. It would all end.
She wanted this.
Kara placed her hand on the prison containing the Kryptonite, ready to embrace a long moment of pain before submitting to the poison.
The voice of a supposed feminine angel spoke through the vessel.
"You are not authorized to proceed with your intentions."
Kara gasped while moving her head in every direction. Was there someone here? Who was speaking?
"Who goes there?" Kara asked with a tremble. The roof of the white advanced room glowed in the center before S.O.C.A. spoke into the lab with her Mistress.
"Greetings my Mistress." Kara looked up while moving torrents of hair out of her face.
"Who speaks in my presence?"
"I am your Subordinate, Official, Communications, Associate. An artificial conscience created from the mind of Jor-El of Krypton, the former second rank to The House of El. I was designed and built into this Armada to aid you, Kara Zor-El and ensure your survival. It is an honor to sever at your side and you may call me S.O.C.A."
Wonder pondered on Kara's mind. Not that she questioned an artificial intelligence. There were many on Krypton. Many Houses had them installed as a serving unit whether it be a superior or inferior house. Her Father never did see need for a serving unit and politely refused when the science guild offered him one. Which was utterly pathetic considering Zor-El was capable of creating something much more that an artificial intelligence.
But here one was now. Who pledged itself as a servant to Kara, under the name of S.O.C.A.
"S.O.C.A. you state that….my uncle was your creator?" her aching voice asked with a sorrow.
"You stand correct Mistress, may Jor-El rest along with Lara Lor-Van."
"Please do not remind me of such realizations." The young appearing girl spoke while her lip was close to trembling.
"I am aware of your distress my Mistress. I was installed upon your moment of slumber into this vessel to function as a navigator and bring you're here unto this world in order to escape your dying one. Please excuse my conformations but I truly do not mean to harm you in any sort of way or form."
"Then what are your prime directives S.O.C.A.?"
"To aid and ensure the survivor of Krypton's last Child, Kara Zor-El. And to help you understand the new world you will embrace."
It all made sense now. This creation not coming from Rao had stopped her in reaching her goal.
"It was you who denied me access to the Kryptonite?"
"Indeed Mistress."
"S.O.C.A." Kara took a steady breath before starting over again in her approach. "I beg of you, let me end as of this moment. I have nothing to live for considering everything I knew has perished. I am unworthy of anything I was told, of anything I was given. I do not deserve any of this. My parents have a better will to be here…not me." Her pleads didn't last as soon became cries.
"I beg you S.O.C.A. I have no purpose…..please let me do this." Kara placed her palm on the crystalized shard again.
"You are not authorized to proceed with your intensions." Kara grit her teeth as she blinked through the hot tears and made one more-clumsy attempted.
"Attempt this procedure any further and I will proceed with removing the Kryptonite fragments from the very room you are in. My apologies my Mistress. But you are not going to make any attempt on your life."
Kara dropped to her knees. What was the point in this creation of science calling her Mistress when she would be denied of what she wanted.
"Perhaps you did not listen… I was not begging…..I WAS ORDERING." Kara's face swelled with angry and desperation. Emotions flaring in all directions from the broken and lost girl. With a feral snarl Kara raked her fingers across the shrine, tearing away at the technology and determined to reach her fate. When she broke the advanced case she was shocked to find no emerald rock riding beneath it's display. Her heart beat increased at a rapid pace as she tore the lids off the smaller capsules only to get the same result. They were empty. S.O.C.A. had removed them.
"I am truly sorry Mistress, but I cannot under any circumstances allow you to partake such actions. I will override any command you issue me if it means to endanger your well-being. You must not do this. Your fable attempts at suicide are not in any sort of way forgiven by your religion. I will never understand the pain you are enduring but it is merely best that you continue to mourn. There is no shame in that as of this moment Mistress, I expect you to understand."
Kara stood still as her heart skipped a beat.
What was wrong with her? What in all that is sake wrong with her? Where was her discipline? Where was her behavior? Had she become blind under the feelings of sorrow, guilt and anger. She had nearly committed suicide, twice. If Alura In-Ze was here, what would she be thinking? What would her Father Zor-El be thinking? He would be disappointed. Not from simply her living, but her actions. He raised her better than this.
The battle of emotions consumed the lost girl so much that she broke down for the umpteenth time with the sound of innocent cries echoing in the room.
What was she? What did Rao want her to be? These questions had an obvious answer but that never once soothed Kara's heart. Was this her punishment or not? Kara Zor-El would never know. Right now there was no other option but to simply do as what was recommended of her Mother and servant unit.
Mourn, mourn the loss of her people. Mourn everything. And then all blinded the Kryptonian.
"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH." Her nails dug into her palms as she fired her projectiles all over the room. The lab stood no chance as she burned almost every single wall surrounding her form, the beams of red colored heat shred through several more unknown rooms before she shut her eyes tight and with every cell of brain concentration, cracked the metallic floor beneath her as she ruptured through the vessel upwards.
It didn't take long before she tore out of whatever part of the Armada and flew into the air in the form of a red streak breaking three layers of the sound barrier. Her power of flight only taking her higher into the atmosphere.
The adrenaline washed over Kara's vision as she now found herself moving past the slowly turning blue sky and into the void of space. The realization quickly overrode Kara's rush incident and gear her form out from beneath the unknown world she was coming out of, heading straight for the Western new world. Coming up quickly to her view was a large tube like asteroid that looked like as if it was made out of metal and glass with an odd symbol. The alien being unable to slow her pace braced for the worst and rammed straight into the structure, destroying the man-made device and continued her flight around the orbit and vacuum.
"Great Rao." She gritted threw hard teeth in flabbergasting. "I am in the vacuum."
Washington D.C.-Triskelion- S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury stood with his intimidating posture in the clear glass elevator, the mint gum he was chewing on was losing its flavor by the second. To his astonishing surprise the ear piece issued his second in command rung drastically through his right hearing tube. This would only happen if there was an emergency. A serious emergency.
"Agent Hill, whatever this is it better be good, and I do mean it agent." The next was a shock for the ages.
"Sir, we have lost Satellite BETA." Came the calm but also distressed voice of Maria through the link. Nick was glad he was in the elevator, otherwise everyone in the base would've seen his shocked face.
"What!?" his white teeth almost hissed through his mustache.
"Approximately two minutes since you entered the elevator Satellite BETA combusted and the pieces are floating through orbit as we speak." Considering Tony Stark funded the Satellites of S.H.I.E.L.D., he didn't have to worry about the seven million dollar piece of hardware being replaced, but what did shock Nick was how was it possible for this to happen to the organization's property.
He knew there was more to it. He didn't have to see Agent Hill's face to know that both of them were certain that something was behind this. Perhaps a terrorist attack. No, it was not possible either. It couldn't be.
The Director rolled his eyes knowing that ninety percent of the headquarters now knew of the situation. With how things were already since The Avengers have separated, along with sending Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff onto a dangerous mission regarding a S.H.I.E.L.D. transport, there was no doubt that he would be having another serious discussion with the Councilmen.
"Do me a favor Agent, collect all the software you can on our fallen satellite, this is far from over but right now I have other things to turn to."
"As you wish sir." the sound of distressed Agents could be heard over the link along with Maria ordering them to cease their act and return to their posts.
Nick entered his office, knowing that soon. He would need the team again. Be it next week, or year.
The early old man stood in his pajamas on a balcony as he studied the stars with his telescope on the other side of the world. Erik Selvig was watching over the complex while Jane, Darcy, and Thor went out for a night of fun. The expert physicist stared into the advanced lenses when through the view just before he blinked a blur of red dashed by the circular glass causing the man to lean back in surprise. Reacting on instinct he crouched again into his device only to find nothing but the beautiful night sky.
"What's next, little green men?" he folded the telescope and brought it inside, thinking that he had enough star gazing for one night.
A/N: So now what do you seventeen followers think. Is it a right setting? I really wanna know. Also, can anyone guess the First Avenger slash Human who's gonna meet our lone Kryptonian? Just a head up, it's not Cap or Tony.