The Kree have returned and they're out to see Earth enrolled into their galactic empire! Not if the mighty Avengers have something to say! Ready for some thrills and chills of epic proportions? Keep reading, true believers! Time is short and it won't be long until these invaders declare-
Chapter 28: Welcome to the Kree Empire
"Hello, Avengers IT, how can I help you today?"
"Real funny, hero-guy. Damocles isn't working for me. Again."
"Did you try turning it on and off?" Abigail Brand rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, Cybernaut? I'm pretty sure this thing doesn't have an off switch." She stated flatly, shooting him an unimpressed look from beneath her shaded glasses. On the other end of her comms, the image of the masked technopathic Avenger sighed as if exasperated by her constant questions.
"Alright, alright, let's go through this again, Agent Brand." He said. "Did you attempt the command input key?"
"Yes, about a hundred times."
"Did you try using voice commands?"
"Yes, but that's the problem; Damocles doesn't seem to respond to my prompting." Brand grumbled. "I don't know how you did it when you were up here. You made it all look so easy when you set up the basic systems for us." Cybernaut shrugged.
"That took some effort. I still don't know how to physically interact with Damocles." He replied.
"Yeah, well, I want you back up here so you can unlock the advanced systems for us." Brand stated. Cybernaut rubbed his temples.
"Look, I'm a full-time Avenger, we literally had to take out an Asgardian sorceress just last week. I kinda have my hands full down here!" He refuted. Brand crossed her arms, arching a brow that lifted well above her shades. Connor sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine, I'll do what I can. It's not gonna be easy from here, but I'll give it a try."
In high orbit over the Earth, the futuristic spacecraft Damocles hovered like a suspended sword above the planet. Formerly the capital ship of the warmongering Kang, it was now an orbital station manned by Earth's elite SWORD organization; the Sentient World Observation and Response Division. Leading the team was Commander Abigail Brand and her second, Major Carol Danvers.
Despite its potential and promise, SWORD only had partial control of the Damocles warship. While Cybernaut had unlocked a great deal of the onboard computer system with his technopathy, it proved to still be a tricky and uncooperative system without his presence. It was a constant struggle for Abigail Brand, but today it was the least of her worries…
"Welcome to Damocles base, Mister Gyrich. From here, SWORD observes and responds to situations involving any extraterrestrial presence, and if possible, we're trained to make peaceful contact with-"
"Cut to the chase, Major Danvers." Henry Gyrich snapped. A government man, Carol found him a pompous sort with a high sense of self-worth, something that possibly extended beyond his station. "You hunt aliens." Carol huffed a laugh, a breathy sound of disbelief and contradiction.
"I wouldn't quite describe it that wa-"
"I've read the reports, so you can skip the song and dance. What's the status with the station?" Gyrich brusquely interrupted. Carol took a moment and clear her throat. She was glad it was her and not Brand who met him, she would've probably blasted the man by now.
"The shipboard artificial intelligence is… finicky at best. We've made some gains with help from the Avenger Cybernaut, but we've only got partial control over it. Defences are still guarding sections of the base, we've lost a number of agents just mapping out the place." She explained. It wasn't exactly a glowing report, but it was the facts.
"Wonderful. Need I remind you that billions of dollars are going into this operation, Major." Gyrich griped. "So how many aliens have you captured?" Carol quirked a brow.
"Excuse me?" Gyrich stopped, turning to face her.
"How. Many. Aliens?" He repeated, slowly and almost venomously.
"Uh, none. There hasn't been a single extraterrestrial event since the Avengers took down Kang the Conqueror." Carol answered, undeterred. "I think you misunderstand the point of our mission here, Mister Gyrich. SWORD and Damocles is a first responder for alien threats. We don't go actively hunting for aliens, we're here to stop them if they show up." She explained. Now it was Gyrich's turn to quirk a brow, one that indicated he was unimpressed. "Here, I think the bridge crew could explain things in better detail." Toggling the nearby door controls, the double panels slid apart to reveal the complex bridge setup, much of the controls commandeered by SWORD and inter-rigged with more commonplace modern technology.
Gyrich had nothing to say and Carol took his silence to be a good thing. It was, especially for her, to go without his overbearing intrusiveness for a moment.
Carol had hoped that Brand could bring Gyrich down a few pegs, but it appeared she was busy with a situation of her own. "No no no, it doesn't work like that. It's a combination key-command prompt and vocal synthesis." An image of an exasperated Cybernaut explained while rubbing his temples.
"I said, I TRIED that. It's NOT responding." Brand replied. Straightening up, she drew her sidearm and took aim at the monitor bank. "I'm just gonna shoot it in it's stupid AI face."
"No! Brand! Ugh!" Cybernaut groaned.
"Agent Brand!" Carol called out as she approached with Gyrich in tow, the government agent crossing his arms.
"What is it, Danvers? I have a computer to shoot." An annoyed Brand demanded.
"You are not going to shoot it." Cybernaut quickly interjected.
"This is Henry Gyrich. You know, the liaison with the United States government? The one I told you was coming today?" Carol pressed, trying to make a good, crisp impression. "Mister Gyrich, this is Abigail Brand, commander of SWORD and commanding officer of the Damocles." She introduced. "And… Hello, Cybernaut."
"Hey, Carol. How's space?" Cybernaut casually answered.
"Space is good." Carol said. "How's Damocles?"
"About as belligerent as Brand here is." Cybernaut joked as he jabbed his thumb in the commander's direction.
"Real funny." Brand scoffed. "Look, I don't have time for politicians,"
"I don't understand why not." Gyrich bit back. "You've been up here for months and what have you accomplished? Have you even seen an alien?" Carol swore she saw a vein throb in Abigail's neck, knowing her CO was just one inch away from letting loose. Sure enough, she whirled on Gyrich, pistol raised by waved about furiously.
"Let me put it this way, Mister Gyrich, I have seen things you government-types would run away screaming from while I stand my ground and deal with it." She stated firmly with all the tact of a hammer. "I have to work with technology from hundreds of years in the future with limited tech support and almost no understanding of how it works. So don't get all up in my space, you overpaid pencil-pusher, and tell me what I should be doing!" She threatened, getting right up in Gyrich's face with enough fervor for the liaison to back off aghast. "I know what I should be doing! And it involves shoving the barrel of this pistol up your-!" Her threat went unfinished as alarms began to sound, Damocles consoles turning red.
"Warning. Incoming threat detected." An automated voice cautioned. All eyes were drawn to the forward viewport as a violet light opened up in the middle of empty space. It soon revealed itself to be a wormhole that disgorged a massive alien vessel, its design reminding Carol of a B2 stealth bomber.
"Congratulations, Mister Gyrich." Brand stated drolly. "You get to meet your first alien. Not every day this happens." Holstering her weapon, she turned to the bridge team. "Sorry, Cybernaut. But IT issues are gonna have to wait. Open a comms channel to that ship, get a connection up and running stat!" SWORD agents scrambled to comply as Connor's frequency was terminated, Abigail taking up position by the forward terminal with Carol and Gyrich flanking her. "Attention unidentified starcraft. This is Agent Abigail Brand with SWORD. Please respond." Her request was met with silence, the vessel looming before them. "Send this out on all frequencies." The corrections were made and Brand tried again. "Attention unidentified starcraft, this is Agent Abigail Brand with SWORD." This time, before she could even finish her inquiry, a holographic projector system flickered to life to reveal a very familiar shape and design. It was humanoid, clad in white arm with purple highlights, its face blue beneath its crested helmet.
"Kree…!" Carol gasped under her breath, remembering Philip Lawson. "It's a Kree ship." She told Brand.
"Attention Kree ship, you've entered restricted Earth-space." Brand tried again.
"Incorrect! Your station is in restricted Kree space. Surrender or be destroyed!" The Kree retorted fiercely. "You have fifteen seconds." With that, his hologram disappeared, leaving the SWORD crew in a state of stunned shock.
"Kree ship, respond!" Brand tried again, feeling very put out by the Kree's abrasive and imposing behavior. "Hey, asshat! Maybe you're not familiar with human time-measurement, but fifteen seconds isn't a lot of-"
"What are you waiting for?! Fire!" Gyrich interrupted.
"Mister Gyrich, will you please shut up and let me do my job?!" Brand growled, whirling on him. Today was not a good day.
"Time's up!" Carol called out as violet blooms from the Kree ship sent a volley of rockets streaking towards Damocles.
"Imminent threat detected. Defence Condition One engaged." The onboard AI declared as shields were promptly raised, the missiles exploding against the emerald field to no effect. Then a hail of laser fire erupted from cannons mounted on the Kree ship, each one striking the shields but leaving Damocles unharmed. "Report!" Brand ordered.
"Shields are holding, barely any changes to the power readings." An agent stated.
"Wait, look!" Carol pointed out as a smaller vessel departed the Kree ship and made a beeline for Earth. Given the apparent twofold purpose of the invading Kree, Brand determined it was time to act.
"Major, I think it's time to see what those powers of yours can do." She told Carol. "Take a team and intercept that ship, I'll handle things up here. Go!" Accepting her orders wordlessly, Carol made a mad dash for the hangar bay and snagged a couple of SWORD troopers en route.
"We have a hostile alien force making Earthfall. We're going in hot, boys!" She told them as they collectively leapt into seats aboard one of their trans-orbital shuttles. Belting in and gunning the thrusters, Carol navigated out into space before making a beeline to Earth. "Miss Marvel to Agent Brand, we're five-by-five. Good luck." She reported over comms.
"Copy that, Miss Marvel. We're informing SHIELD now, there should be a party on the ground when you get there." Brand responded.
"Copy that, Brand. Marvel out." Carol signed off as she grabbed the yoke with both hands. "Anyone who had lunch, get ready to lose it." She warned the team as her eyes began to glow…
Elsewhere, at Avengers Mansion…
Alone in the kitchen, Hulk was taking a moment to himself and snacking down on an entire plus-sized cooked chicken. A relatively quiet day for the Avengers, the rest were either pursuing potential leads, training or working on personal projects. Such was the mixed case with Steve and Tony, who entered the kitchen with towels around their necks to the sound of loud lip-smacking and finger-sucking. "I think that went pretty well as far as our workouts go. I only blacked out that one time." Tony remarked.
"Is that how you remember it?" Steve wondered with a passive smirk. Tony rolled his eyes.
"So, Hulk? How's everything going?" He queried politely. Hulk's sole response was a loud, wall-shaking belch. "Oooookay then…" Tony trailed off, both amazed and disgusted by the sound. "If anyone needs me I'll be rebuilding JARVIS for the hundredth time. Are you still going to meet up with the others?" He asked of Cap.
"Panther's meeting Hawkeye and Wasp in Los Angeles. They think they've got a lead on the Serpent Society." The supersoldier answered. "I'll-"
"No." Hulk abruptly cut in, in-between bites from a drumstick. "Need you here. Connor said SHIELD called." He stated. Tony and Steve shared a quick glance of shared curiosity.
"And?" Tony pressed, trying to get a few more words out of Hulk between mouthfuls of chicken.
"Aliens are invading!" The technopath cried out as he burst in from another door. He slumped over the table, bracing himself against it and breathing heavily. "They just landed about six clicks north of the city! SWORD engaged them in orbit but they sent a landing craft down! They attacked a SHIELD team once they made landfall, haven't heard anything else!" He hurriedly spat out in one slightly-jumbled sentence. "Would've told you guys sooner… but its like a call centre down in the lab. I'm scrambling like mad to get all the details!" He explained between breaths. Tony sighed.
"Huh. An alien invasion." He repeated. "Sure, yeah, it's Tuesday, isn't it? Wouldn't be a normal New York Tuesday without an alien invasion."
"With the others preoccupied following this lead, we better respond quickly." Cap suggested. "Forget about rebuilding JARVIS, Tony. What we need right now is Iron Man."
Meanwhile…
The SHIELD team had been decimated.
At the site of the abandoned drive-in movie theatre where the Avengers famously defeated a Kree Sentry nearly a year ago, vehicles and technology lay strewn across the grounds. Battered and beaten agents were scattered between smoking impact craters and blackened scorch marks. The entire SHIELD response force had been laid waste… thanks to the pack of seven alien warriors standing tall at one end of the grounds.
Energy pylons retracting into his adaptive armor, his underslung photronic-plasma beam cannon smoking from recent use, the Kree in white armor stood in stark contrast to his dark-clad subordinates. A purple cape hung from his back, meshing with the deep indigo emblem etched into his chestplate, denoting his status as a high-ranking commander in the Kree Military. "Pathetic." He scoffed, surveying the scene. "I find it hard to believe that these primates defeated a Kree Sentry here."
"And yet they did, Yon-Rogg." Captain Mar-Vell responded, striding forward. The science division Captain was shorter in stature, his genetics made for research and forward-thinking learning over tactics and combat. "I have seen humanity's potential firsthand."
"Monsters and mutations are not potential, Mar-Vell." Yon-Rogg retorted.
"Beyond that, there's a spirit within them." Mar-Vell continued, undeterred. "A warrior spirit that rivals the Kree." Disinterested and unamused, Yon-Rogg spat on the ground.
"They were able to defeat Sentry Four-Five-Nine because you aided them!" He growled. "You are a sympathizer to these animals, but the only potential they will ever have is to be target practice for the Kree military." He stated. Mar-Vell frowned, more than capable of going tit-for-tat in exchanges with Yon-Rogg.
"The Supreme Intelligence disagrees." He replied.
"Supermor can say whatever he may, but what becomes of this ball of mud will be no different than what has come before." The commander huffed.
"Never send the military fools to do the science division's job." Mar-Vell remarked. "So far, Yon-Rogg, you're right. It is no different." Yon-Rogg growled, swearing under his breath as he loomed over Mar-Vell.
"Do not think you speak for the Supreme Intelligence, Mar-Vell!" He snapped.
"I could say the same to you, Yon-Rogg." Mar-Vell bit back. Things were getting heated, but the tension broke when a boarding platform lowered from their landing craft. Commander and Captain turned, watching as a mighty figure clad in ornate armored robes emerged into Earth's sunlight.
"The Supreme Intelligence wishes this planet judged, and that is what I will do. Target practice or study, I will determine." He stated in a booming voice. The Kree footsoldiers knelt, Yon-Rogg and Mar-Vell bowing respectfully.
"Hail Grand Accuser!" They all saluted. One of the most respected Kree judiciaries, Ronan the Accuser was renown across the Kree Empire for his swift and firm judgements of new worlds. He was a powerful warrior, a shrewd and sharp judge of character, both merciless and merciful when required. The footsoldiers were honored to be in his presence, moved to be his honor guard in his judgement of this world. Ronan stepped ahead, planting the handle of his hammer-shaped universal weapon against the upturned dirt.
"Where are these 'Avengers' you spoke of, Mar-Vell?" He questioned as Commander and Captain flanked him.
Before Mar-Vell could respond, a sudden rush of kinetic energy whizzed past the Kree team. Moving faster than even Yon-Rogg's trained and genetically-enhanced eyes could track, the being struck the first column of Kree troopers with such force they were sent flying through the air. Bodies struck the hull of their landing craft and were sent tumbling across the dirt as the figure turned and took out the second column of troopers just as quickly. Mar-Vell and Yon-Rogg flinched instinctively, their gaze darting upwards as a feminine figure appeared in the sky, seemingly from out of nowhere.
Carol had exchanged her green SWORD jumpsuit for a unitard of red and black, complete with elbow-long black gloves and high-high black boots, a black domino mask over her eyes and her red pilots scarf around her neck. A bright yellow starburst stood out in the centre of her chest, framing the look of a powerful superheroine in conjunction with her golden blonde hair.
"My name is Miss Marvel, and I'm here to welcome you to Earth." She greeted the three. "Now go home!" Wasting no time, Yon-Rogg raised his cannon and fired. A shimmering bolt of green energy struck Miss Marvel, promptly being absorbed by a golden aura as Carol converted his energy into her own and retaliated with a powerful photonics blast that knocked Yon-Rogg clear off his feet. This was an exercise of power. She wanted to prove she wasn't messing around. "Last chance, Kree! Withdraw from Earth. Now!" She ordered, suddenly flanked by SWORD agents in borrowed Mandroid armor, a total of six hovering alongside her in a clear show of defensive force. At that moment, Mar-Vell's shock wore off. He didn't recognize this woman at first, knowing she hadn't been one of the Avengers who fought off the sentry. But there was something he could sense about her, something familiar. His optical implants registered high-intensity Kree energy radiating from her body, but what shocked him was that it was on a similar wavelength to his own, he could quite literally sense her energized presence.
And there was only one woman who had been in contact with him in that capacity.
"Carol?!" He gasped. Miss Marvel turned towards him. Her gaze narrowed. In the back of her mind she could faintly sense something familiar, a sort of attachment that transcended physical or emotional means. It was something stronger, but also alien to her.
"Do I know you?" She questioned. Mar-Vell stepped forward, Ronan remaining silent.
"What happened to you?" He stammered out. Having only ever seen Carol in a coma, he had no idea that his own energy field had uniquely bonded with her genetic structure to grant her energy-based abilities. "That energy signature… i-it's Kree." His voice suddenly triggered Carol's memories and now it was her turn to widen her eyes in surprise.
"Lawson?!" She exclaimed, touching down before him. "Lawson, what are you doing here? The Avengers said you were going to try and help us and this is how you do it? By attacking?" She questioned in disbelief.
"Enough." Ronan boomed, lifting his weapon and unleashing a power bolt that would've hit Carol had she not moved at blinding speed to avoid it.
"SWORD, take him down!" Miss Marvel cried out as she rocketed skyward. The Mandroids opened fire without hesitation, striking Ronan from all sides with concentrated energy blasts from their gauntlet cannons. Their barrage was powerful enough to send Ronan sliding back along the ground, the Grand Accuser only finding respite when he slammed the pommel of his universal weapon on the ground to generate an electromagnetic shockwave that knocked the Mandoirds out of the air. Miss Marvel managed to absorb the strike, but her fellow agents weren't so lucky, all of them sent hurtling across the grounds and slamming through the forested perimeter.
Surging forward with blinding ferocity, Carol had her sights set on Ronan. "Carol, no!" Mar-Vell cried out. His warning came too late, for Ronan's exceptional skills allowing him to move and snatch Carol by the air, spin around and slam her into the ground, converting her speed into strength as a massive cloud of dirt and debris was kicked up.
Carol slowly picked herself up with a groan, forced to raise her personal shields again as Ronan unleashed a photon blast from the hammerhead, driving her backwards. Finding her footing, Carol pushed back and started slowly advancing towards Ronan as she strained under the duress.
But Ronan made short work of her as he drew back his weapon and swung hard, bashing Carol in the head with an energized blow that drove her deep into the dirt. Mar-Vell flinched, his jaw open in shocked horror of Ronan's brutality. The dust cloud faded, Carol's unconscious body laying within a shapely imprint in the ground. Ronan seemed unfazed, Mar-Vell overcome by dismay. "Was that one of the 'super-humans' you were so impressed with, Mar-Vell?" Ronan inquired. Mar-Vell stayed silent. "For humanity's sake, I hope their rulers have more to offer." He said dismissively as he made to return to the landing craft.
Leaving SHIELD, SWORD and Miss Marvel behind, Ronan mounted a hover platform and moved towards New York City as his Kree honor guard took flight aboard their landing craft. Citizens were soon running terrified as aliens converged on them, the Kree descending upon the United Nations plaza at the city's edge. "People of Earth. You have a choice," Ronan boomed loudly as news crews converged and helicopters started to circle, "surrender and become part of the Kree Empire, or be destroyed…"
Back aboard Damocles…
"Why did they stop firing?" Gyrich wondered nervously, wringing his hands as he paced back and forth. The Kree guns had fallen silent, for some time now, and SWORD was left on the precipice of concern and dread.
"It's never good sign… they're probably switching over to a bigger gun." Brand muttered, studying the distant vessel. "Get me Miss Marvel on the comm." She ordered. The comms crew quickly attempted to do as asked.
"The away team isn't responding." An agent reported. Brand frowned.
"That's not a good sign, either…" She muttered.
"Agent Brand! Damocles base is scanning the Kree ship." Another agent exclaimed.
"Warning. Enemy craft is preparing to launch attack fighters." The onboard AI suddenly announced.
"How many?"
"Five thousand." Brand was slack-jawed, horrified by the answer. Her mind scrambled to try and figure out a means of fighting back. If the weapons systems could come back online, maybe they stood a chance. But with how uncooperative Damocles was being- "Incoming teleport detected, shields unable to compensate." Within seconds of the warning, multiple flashes of light appeared across the bridge, resulting in four teams of three Kree soldiers teleporting into the midst of the SWORD agents.
"No prisoners!" The team strike commander ordered as he opened fire with his rifle. The others followed suite, dozens of personnel coldly gunned down within seconds as SWORD scrambled for cover. Brand pushed Gyrich towards the exit, providing covering fire with her sidearm as countless more agents fell on either side of her. Today had taken a turn for the worst and as much as she didn't want to protect this particular VIP, she had no choice, especially in the face of an alien invasion…
It wasn't long before the majority of New York was turning up to bear witness to the alien presence invading their city. Times Square was packed as denizens looked to the live feed being displayed on one of the massive jumbo-sized screens hanging from the surrounding high-rises. "Your time is up." Ronan boomed. "What is Earth's answer?" People fidgeted nervously. Not a single government agent had acted, no political presence of any kind had been established, and they were doubtful the Accuser had given them enough time to respond.
"Sorry, I came in late. What was the question?" The camera panned over towards the new voice, a hopeful gasp erupting from the crowds. They soon burst into deafening cheers as the gold and crimson armor of Iron Man filled the screen, with the Avengers Quinjet touching down behind him. Captain America, Hulk and Cybernaut quickly surged onto the scene, squaring off against the Kree soldiers as Iron Man hovered before Ronan.
"You represent the leaders of this planet?" Ronan questioned.
"Well, I am pretty popular-" Tony mused.
"Surrender your planet to the Kree Empire… and you may live." Ronan ordered. Tony blanked for a moment.
"Woah, woah woah, let's slow down here. Who are you again?"
"They're hostiles! Let's take 'em down!" Cap determined without question as he activated his hardlight shield. Cybernaut formed his batons as Hulk sized up the invaders. One in particular caught his eye.
"I know you… Marvel!" He exclaimed. That drew Tony's attention.
"Captain Marvel? What's going on here?" He asked.
"Iron Man, please. Just do as Ronan asks!" Mar-Vell begged him. "Surrender. Surrender and we can work something out." Cap glanced up at Ronan, spying energy veins pulsing within the hammerhead of his universal weapon. With grit teeth, he made to open negotiates his way.
"Avengers, attack!" He cried out, hurling his shield hard enough to make Ronan wobbled atop his stand as the projectile zipped past him.
"Cap?!" Tony cried out in surprise, hoping to de-escalate things. Yon-Rogg ordered his forces to engage, all of them sprouting combat pistols from their transmogrification gauntlets and opening fire on the Avengers. Cap retired his shield just in time to fend off the incoming salvo while Cybernaut triggered his shield projector just in time to absorb each impact. Hulk tanked each shot and retaliated by slamming the ground with his fists, generating a shockwave powerful enough to knock the Kree off their feet.
"No… no!" Mar-Vell cried out in despair, only to be promptly knocked off his feet by a revived Miss Marvel as she rocketed in and slammed him up against a nearby building.
"Welp. So much for diplomacy." Iron Man remarked with a shrug. At that moment, Ronan charged him and a quick cut of power to his boots allowed Iron Man to drop beneath the swing of his weapon. Taking flight once more, Tony flew circles around Ronan, peppering him with repulsor blasts. But the Grand Accuser's reach was greater than expected and Iron Man was soon hammered across the battlefield.
"Hulk! We've got this scum! Go help Iron Man with the big guy!" Cap ordered as he deflected dozens of incoming rounds.
"Hmph! Fine!" Hulk grumped as he casually flung a helpless soldier into the air. The gamma giant moved on as Cybernaut and Captain America stood back to back against Yon-Rogg's forces.
"Scum? Didn't take long to pass judgement." The technopath remarked.
"You would too if they suddenly decided your home was there's." The supersoldier responded.
"Eh, fair point." Cap immediately turned and flung his shield, bowling over a Kree captain. Yon-Rogg attempted to attack from behind, Cybernaut quickly sending several of his irons hurtling towards the Kree Commander and striking his head and arms. He recalled them to form a staff just as Yon-Rogg transmuted his pistols into a sword. The two quickly engaging in a heated duel as the many skills he learned from Black Panther came into play. "So, if you've got an empire, you must have a lot of species under your reach, eh? Any Twi'leks? Togrutas?" He wondered coyly as he danced around Yon-Rogg's strikes.
"Already trying to commingle with your fellow chattel, primate?" Yon-Rogg hisssed.
"Wow. Rude." Connor remarked. A single thought from his mind travelled down his arms and booted up his pneumatic gauntlets, white veins of energy coming to life as he held an iron in each fist before lashing out with a deft right hook that slammed into Yon-Rogg's face. The force of the blow snapped the Commander's head to the side as spittle flew from his mouth, his sword dropped in the process. Cybernaut wound up and promptly delivered a powerful uppercut to his abdomen, Yon-Rogg's eyes going wide as the air rushed from his lungs from a blow so forceful not even his armor could compensate. "Oh these things work a treat!" He gleefully exclaimed, encircling Yon-Rogg and fitting his staff beneath his neck in a chokehold. "Hey, Cap! Free hits!" The supersoldier was moving immediately, striking Yon-Rogg with his shield and fists until they both dropped the Commander on the ground.
Iron Man flew circles around the perimeter of the plaza, dodging power blasts from Ronan's weapon as the Kree accuser pursued him. "You run? Can your species be this weak?" He sneered.
"It's called 'strategy'." Iron Man explained, coming to a sudden stop in midair. "Wait, let me have Hulk explain it to you." Cutting his jets, Iron Man dropped down as Hulk came roaring into view, Ronan caught completely off-guard as the gamma giant plowed into him and drove the Accuser into the ground, the two crashing their way into the Kree landing craft and tipping it over.
Hulk was he first to pick himself up out of the rubble, only to get bashed in the face by Ronan as the Grand Accuser stood up. Hulk got up with a roar and lunged towards him, only to have Ronan deftly sidestep out of the way and let Hulk crash into the ground. A mighty energized swing of his universal weapon planted the gamma giant and an overcharged burst of cosmic energy would've been his end had Hulk not rolled out of the way and kicked Ronan's feet out from under him. The Avenger lunged, blasted away by a power bolt from the pommel as Ronan picked himself up. The two were evidently in a class of their own, Ronan fully capable of handling whatever punishment Hulk dished out. Iron Man struck with repulsors and a unibeam blast from above, trying to tip the odds, but Ronan countered with a power beam of his own.
Miss Marvel forced Mar-Vell out of the wreckage, blasting him with her cosmic power bolts. "Carol! Stop, please!" The Kree pleaded.
"I believed in you! I named myself after you!" She cried angrily. "All this time I thought you were out there fighting for us! But you were just bringing your people back here to conquer us!" She exclaimed as she threw out bolt after bolt of golden power. Mar-Vell fell to the ground.
"You have to convince the Avengers to stop! They'll listen to you!" Carol hoisted him up by the lapel.
"Why?!" She demanded, fists aglow.
"Earth… cannot survive what's coming. The Kree are just waiting for Ronan's signal." Mar-Vell revealed.
Up in space…
"Report!"
"No word from the Grand Accuser, Captain." A subordinate replied. "Commander Kalum-Lo has reported, however. They've secured the bridge of the human ship."
Aboard Damocles, SWORD struggled valiant against the overwhelming militant force the Kree boarding party brought to bear against them. Abigail Brand shoved Gyrich into a wall panel, out of harm's way.
"Do something!" The liaison snapped. Gritting her teeth, Brand whirled on him.
"How about this; I use you as a meat-shield and as they riddle you full of holes, I'll retake the bridge! How's that sound, huh?" She demanded, pulling him in close by the tie so he could smell the faint spearmint scent on her breath. "Don't like it? Then follow my lead and shut the hell up, Gyrich!" Brand snapped, shoving the frazzled liaison back against the wall. "Now let me listen…" Peeking around the corner, she paused to study an interaction taking place between Kree Commander Kalum-Lo, identifiable by his red markings, and a crimson-skinned bipedal creature decidedly not Kree.
"Animal. We could not access the station's computers from our ship. You will do this now." Kalum-Lo ordered the Drenx.
"This technology… i-it is unlike anything I-" his deferrence was cut short by a soldier levelling a rifle at his head. "Yes I can do it." The Drenx affirmed with a nervous gulp. He turned to the Damocles console, tail swishing as he ran his fingers across the keyboard with precise, skillful strokes.
"Access denied. Access denied. Access denied." The computer repeated despite his continual efforts. After a few more keystrokes, the Drenx grinned. "Access… granted. Full control of Damocles base rerouted to command chair." The Drenx looked to Kalum-Lo, hoping for some recognition. The Kree returned his stare with one that was cold and merciless.
"This is Kalum-Lo, we have control of the station AI." He stated into his comms. "Once Ronan gives the signal, we can turn the human's own station against the planet."
"Terrific." Abigail muttered, slipping back into her hiding place. Raising her wrist, she triggered her comms. "Brand to Miss Marvel, you better be alive because we've got a real problem." She said quietly.
"I'm here, Brand. What's your situation?"
"The Kree are planning a strike from space. You need to find someone called 'Ronan' and stop him from transmitting any kind of signal or communication." She explained. Suddenly interrupted by the body of another SWORD agent pitched back by laser fire, Brand groaned in frustration. "That's it. Enough." Making up her mind, the green-haired woman left her cover and Gyrich behind.
"Brand?!" He cried out in alarm, not wishing to be left alone. Without another word, Abigail casually kicked her pistol across the floor, moving carefully and cautiously with arms raised.
"Hey! Hold your fire!" She called out, approaching the well-armed Kree. Kalum-Lo turned to her, hands folded calmly behind his back. "I'm Abigail Brand, commander of this station. On behalf of Earth, we surrender. So don't shoot me." She stated.
"Not so smart, human." The Drenx huffed. With a simple nod from Kalum-Lo, a pair of solders advanced on Brand at gunpoint, taking her by the arms as they expected her to behave as their prisoner.
What they did not expect was Abigail's mutant power of tactile pyrokinesis.
Flames enshrouded her hands as she snapped out her limbs and struck both Kree with explosive force. Their bodies were sent hurtling across the bridge as she collected their weapons and went to work, vaporizing Kree soldiers left and right until even Kalum-Lo lay on the floor. "You." She called out, approaching the surprised Drenx. "Got a name?"
"S-Sydren." He answered with a stammer, hands raised in a show of surrender.
"You did in two minutes what our best IT guy did in half an hour, Sydren." Brand appraised. "Here's my offer: I free you from the Kree, I keep you safe. In exchange, you work for me." She offered. The Drenx slowly lowered his hands.
"I… accept." He said at length, never one to pass up an offer that benefitted him.
"Good." Reaching out towards the collar around his neck, Sydren flinched as her pyrokinesis incinerated his bondage. "Cut all communications to and from the Kree ship." A single press of a button and her wish was granted.
"Agent Brand…" Abigail turned around as Henry emerged from hiding, the bemused SWORD commander appraising his confidence now that he wasn't under fire.
"Done skulking around?" Brand wondered with arms crossed.
"There's nothing in your file about you being a superhuman." He stated directly.
"Who said I'm human?" Brand retorted with a coy quirk of her brow.
"Ronan…" Carol trailed off, spying the Accuser throw Iron Man into the ground.
"Carol… if I have to fight you to save your life, I will. You cannot beat Ronan." Mar-Vell implored. Carol's eyes narrowed.
"You don't know me at all." She growled. Tossing Mar-Vell aside, Miss Marvel rocketed towards Ronan and struck him in the back with a burst of cosmic energy, knocking. him off of Iron Man and half-burying him in the concrete. By now, his honor guard had been dealt with, the soldiers lying in unconscious heaps across the plaza. As the Grand Accuser stood, only he remained to stand against the Avengers. "Ronan, right? You wanted Earth to surrender? Well, guess what? It's your turn." Carol ordered.
"You sure you're still in charge?" Hulk wondered with a nudge to Iron Man.
"Ha ha." Tony muttered with roll of his eyes. Ronangrit his teeth, his grip on his universal weapon tight.
"You are an arrogant species. And as such, unworthy to join the Empire." He declared, activating his own comms system. "Ronan to all Kree forces. I have made my judgement. Eliminate all life on this planet." The Avengers tensed, expecting another assault of some kind.
But as the seconds ticked past, nothing came.
"Ronan, all communications from the ship are down." A revived Mar-Vell announced as he approached the group.
"Did you do that?" Iron Man wondered quietly.
"No, I thought your or Connor did that." Miss Marvel answered.
"Uh, 'fraid not. I haven't learned Kree tech yet." Cybernaut said with a shake of his head. Suddenly, Carol's comms crackled to life.
"Miss Marvel, this is Brand. We've shut down communications to and from the Kree ship." Abigail announced. "If there are any Kree left down there, handle with extreme prejudice." Carol smiled, ready and willing to abate such orders.
"Time to pick a side, Mar-Vell." She snapped. Her displeasure evident and the sense of betrayal ripe in her voice, Mar-Vell loosed a sigh.
"I am on your side. But there is no hope here except surrender." He said quietly.
"Mankind will never surrender." Captain America declared.
"Ever." Miss Marvel emphasized.
"Such arrogance." Ronan scoffed, approaching the team with both hands on his weapon. "You wish to die here? So be it." Snapping up the pommel, a power bolt knocked Iron Man off his feet and sent him flying across the plaza. Captain America stepped up and threw his shield, Miss Marvel unleashed cosmic beams, Cybernaut hurled his irons and Hulk lunged forward with a fist cocked and ready to strike.
But a single sweep of his hammerhead defended Ronan entirely, sending Hulk flying backwards and into the central fountain as the Avengers' weapons were rebuffed. Cybernaut reformed his irons and quickly took up position by Carol's side.
"naDevvo' SoHchugh!" He growled. Carol blinked in confusion.
"Uh… what'd you just say?"
"I, er, insulted his mother in Klingon." He revealed, sounding somewhat embarrassed. "I thought he might understand." Miss Marvel smirked.
"Never seen Star Trek. Star Wars, though…" She admitted.
"Ooooh, we should have a marathon-AUGH!" His offer cut short by another power bolt, Cybernaut was sent careening through the air as his shields absorbed some of the kinetic damage while the rest knocked him into a building. Miss Marvel was quick to power up a blast of her own as Ronan turned on her. The two unleashed their beams simultaneously…
But it was Mar-Vell, rushing to get caught in the middle, who was struck instead.
Carol gasped, sensing something raw and painful flare up in the back of her mind as Mar-Vell's blackened body fell to the ground, his armor scorched and scored by energy radiation. She dashed to his fallen form as Iron Man and Captain America engaged Ronan. "Why…? Why did you do that?" She asked in a quiet, desperate whisper. Mar-Vell spluttered, barely conscious.
"If… Ronan wins… there's still a chance… humanity can… survive. That you can survive." He whispered in reply. Invisible pulses of energy flashed back and forth between them, their shared energy forming a bond unlike anything else. "If he loses… the Kree Empire is… a hundred thousand star systems strong…" Mar-Vell continued. "Earth will be crushed." Closing here eyes, Carol took his hand in hers, then looked upon him with an expression that read disappointment.
"If you really knew anything about humanity, you'd know we could never do what you're asking." She whispered. Leaving him be, Carol stood and advanced on Ronan as the Grand Accuser totaled the two Avengers. He turned to face her and Miss Marvel stood her ground.
"You seek to face me again? It will end no better for you." Ronan promised. Raising his pommel, he unleashed a powerful photonic burst that send Carol sliding backwards. Her body began to glow as her energized aura absorbed the raw power of his universal weapon.
But taking slow, confident steps closer, Miss Marvel began to regain control as her body glowed brighter and brighter. "Fall!" Ronan bellowed, concentrating his power as Miss Marvel focused hers. Her form was soon brilliant, shining bright like a pulsar as her body began to generate power akin to a binary star. "Why won't you fall?!" In response, Miss Marvel unleashed her power in a furious shockwave of cosmic energy, the blast so powerful it send Ronan crashing into a building and knocked the universal weapon from his grip.
The Grand Accuser collapsed in a heap, Miss Marvel standing tall and looking no worse for wear. Ronan managed a glance up, her body still saturated in golden power. "Surrender." She ordered.
"Never…" He ground out, unable to rise. Carol chuckled.
"See? We've got something in common after all. You're as arrogant as we are." She remarked, before an energized fist crashed into his face and knocked Ronan out cold…
Later…
With Damocles back under her control and the Kree warship her newest acquisition for SWORD's usage, Abigail Brand felt quite pleased that the day had taken a significantly better turn. "I assume all of this will go in your report." She mused to Henry Gyrich. "The whole 'SWORD saves Earth' thing."
"You're not fired. Yet." He responded coldly. Brand shook her head ruefully.
F#%!$ bureaucrats. She thought to herself.
Meanwhile, the Kree forces had been successfully incarcerated in the Negative Zone, Prison 42 now a little fuller with the inclusion of Ronan, Yon-Rogg, the honor guard, the crew of the warship, and even Mar-Vell himself. "All in all, I'd say today was alright." Tony determined. "Alien invaders in jail, minimal damage to public property, Connor got his hands on a boatload of Kree tech to examine. I swear, he was like a kid in a candy store when we let him cart off all the pieces we could find." He listed off with a chuckle.
"Something tells me he's been itching for this opportunity. From what Janet's told me, he's been hoping to learn Kree tech since he failed against the sentry." Carol agreed.
"He calls it 'expanding his vocabulary'." Tony described with air quotes. "I'll never understand how he manages to turn programming and code into an actual language. Now you, you had quite the day yourself. Stopped an alien invasion and spared Earth from total annihilation. Not too bad for your first time out." Tony remarked as he can Carol strode past the full cells.
"Thanks. That means a lot coming from an Avenger." She replied brightly.
"I'm glad you feel that way," Tony mused, turning to her with a smile, "because I want you on the team." His sudden declaration took Carol by surprise. "Join the Avengers."
"I-I… I… I don't know what to say." She stammered, totally taken aback.
"'Yes' works pretty well." Tony proffered. Chuckling lightly and still feeling totally giddy, Carol answered in a heartbeat.
"Yes, yes!" She eagerly repeated. "I-I'll still have responsibilties to SWORD but… yeah, it'd be an honor."
"You're welcome. Welcome to the team, Miss Marvel." Stated warmly. "Hopefully you can save my life a lot more in the future." He added with a not so subtle wink. They kept walking until Carol paused outside of Mar-Vell's cell. The anomaly in the back of her mind flared again, flooding her subconscious that could only be described as 'low'. Despair, anxiety, depression and submissive defeat were radiating from the Kree's energy signature and she could ambiently feel it all.
"I had convinced the Supreme Intelligence that Earth was just a scientific anomaly they needed to study…" He said quietly, head lowered. "But now you're a threat. Because of what you've done, the Kree will come in full force." He described with bitter sadness. To Carol it almost seemed as if Mar-Vell was giving up before the war was even over. On the one hand, she felt for him and was pained by his despair. But on the other hand, her resolve and determination were strengthened. She would prove Mar-Vell wrong. Humanity would prove itself more than cosmic lab rats.
"We'll be here waiting." Tony promised, echoing her thoughts.
"Good afternoon, Peterson Contracting, Matthias speaking."
"Hey Matthias. How's things?" Carol greeted.
"Carol! Hey, not bad. Just sorting out the paperwork for patching up the UN plaza. How about you?" The younger Peterson brother described.
"Just busy packing." She replied, folding a shirt and loading it into a duffle bag.
"Oh? Are you moving?" Matthias inquired.
"Yup. Just uptown." Carol said, smiling.
"You… found a new apartment?" His befuddled inquiry sparked a giggle from Carol, the blonde unable to contain her own excitement.
"Nope. I'm moving into Avengers Mansion." She revealed.
"Avengers-… wait… you mean-!"
"Mhm. Miss Marvel is now a bona fide Avenger." She stated proudly and confidently.
"Well congratulations! I had no idea you were being considered to be a member!"
"Neither was I, until Iron Man offered me a spot on the team out of the blue." Carol replied. "But I accepted and now I get to move in with the others."
"That is so cool. I'm really happy for you Carol, you earned this. We should celebrate sometime." Matthias warmly responded. "Hey, do me a favor and say high to my brother for me, would you? Mister Cybernaut is so caught up in hero work he doesn't call as often as he used to."
"Will do, Matt. I'm pretty sure he's gonna wind up being my neighbour or something like that." Carol promised. "And… yes, we should celebrate. Maybe drinks one time?" She suggested.
"Yeah. Maybe in the evening when something other than afternoon coffee is on the menu." Matthias agreed. "Hey, look, I gotta go deal with some permits. But good luck and congrats, eh?" He offered in closing.
"Thanks Matt. Best of luck with corporate." Carol replied.
"Thanks. I'll need it." He responded, making her laugh as they both hung up the call.
Later that night…
It was dark. The inconspicuous warehouse shrouded in shadow and the odd moonbeam. A figure quietly strode between rows and stacks of crates, stealing their way over to one upon which a very inhuman device sat. Jagged, circular, pronounced yet also linear, one might describe it as alien in nature. The being took it in hand, the stray light of the moon casting their shadow across the warehouse. Seemingly humanoid in nature, a pair of long pointed ears framing their rounded head set all pretences aside.
"We must move up our timetable," they stated to the device, "the Kree are coming…"