Fight As One

by DFM23

When threats too big for mortal men attack cities, when intergalactic villains seek to conquer Earth, you don't call just anyone... you call the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! The adventures don't just stop at Galactus, true believers! Get ready for tales to astonish, journeys into mystery, strange tales, and more! Trust me, we're just getting started...

35. Prisoner of War

Captured by the Skrulls! Captain America, the one and only Steve Rogers, has been trapped on the Skrull's warship along with countless other heroes and villains! But the time has come, it's time to make a break for it! We'll save you a seat, true believers, but you'll only need the edge! Are you ready for the jailbreak of a lifetime? Follow along with Captain America-

Chapter 34: Prisoner of War

Three and a half months ago…

Busy with experiments, Arnim Zola was not expecting the Masters of Evil to return so suddenly, nor to be in such a bedraggled state. Most of them were strewn across the floor, winded and beaten after their battle with the Avengers.

"I told you not to underestimate them!" Zemo berated.

"And you didn't account for Panther and Hawkeye!" Abomination retorted. Cobalt scoffed as he picked himself up.

"You're both idiots." He stated flatly. "Trying to play games, chasing them around, the Avengers don't require a plan. They require strength. Something we don't have."

"Mind your tongue, Cobalt!" Zemo hissed, drawing his sword. The betokinetic shook his head.

"What? Gonna rant and rave like a spoiled brat?" He remarked. With a growl, Zemo lunged towards him,

"Enough." Enchantress snapped, picking herself up and fixing her emerald tiara while stopping the fight before it could commence. "It doesn't matter. None of it does. For it is all a game… and you've played your parts." She said dismissively, disappearing into a room and sealing the door behind her as Skurge took his place before it. Behind his mask, Cobalt's eyes narrowed.

"I don't like the sounds of that. I'm not some tool." He growled.

"None of us do." Zemo agreed.

After that, Cobalt took his leave, disappearing from the main room to the adjacent sleeping quarters Arnim and Zemo had provided the Masters of Evil. They were spartan in design and material, but they fulfilled their purpose of providing privacy and a bed to sleep on. The privacy was what Cobalt sought now. He'd leave the others of this so-called team to their own musings. He had some soul-searching to do.

When Baron Zemo and Enchantress had offered him a place on the Masters, he accepted because the coals of revenge burned hotly within him. Even now he was angry that he had failed against Cybernaut and that his former colleague had not paid a high enough price for his monumental failure. Deep down, he'd been hoping to work with another calculated, efficient group that would be dedicated to logic and a measured approach to attacking the Avengers. Instead, he felt more as though he was among inmates in an insane asylum. Too many differing opinions and contrasting ideals. It wasn't a team. It was a time bomb.

"This was a mistake." He muttered aloud, not caring if anyone heard him. The fleeting thought had crossed his mind before but now he was beginning to believe it.

He opened the door to his room and stepped in, closing and locking it behind him before peeling off his mask. Mark was beginning to doubt his future with the Masters of Evil. At the rate they were failing against the Avengers, he was better off taking revenge on his own.

"Markus Moran."

The voice sounded shockingly familiar. It should be. It was his after all. Mark whirled, a shadowy corner suddenly taking on a life of its own as, to his amazement, a perfect replica of himself emerged. Right down to the intricate design of the Cobalt suit, it could easily be mistaken for him. Perhaps that was the idea. He was too surprised to speak or cry out, his eyes darting from the identical shape of his head down to the alien-looking weapon pointed at him.

Before he could even comprehend what was going on, a golden glow consumed his vision and then everything went black…

---

He had no idea how long he'd been out for. His bleary eyes revealing a darkened room as they slowly blinked open, the betokinetic grumbled in complaint as a fierce headache settled in. Mark came to on an uncomfortably hard floor, his surroundings completely foreign to him. Slowly propping himself up, he rubbed his head with a groan trying to massage the pain away. "Ngh… Wh-What…?" He half-mumbled half-sputtered. His tongue felt thick and his mind was foggy. By the time his vision cleared he was able to take in the room with clarity and it was nowhere he'd ever been before. It wasn't someplace in Zemo's lair and it certainly wasn't his private quarters.

The designed reminded him of the prison SHIELD kept him in until he was freed by the Masters of Evil. Flat walls, bare design, nothing of interest and nothing to look at. His punishment was monotony and now this place was much the same. He had to wonder what was going on, thoughts pulsing through his mind as his brain ramped up activity. The comparisons to a prison cell were solidified by the multiple energized pillars lining the door, prohibiting escape.

Mark scrambled to his feet, racing to the door. He checked it over, studying the columns of white energy between him and a hallway. It didn't look like any containment system he was aware of. Mark began to think. There was a possibility the energy could be bypassed. Perhaps a few moments of pain could secure his freedom…? He punched the bars, only to receive a sudden painful shock as the energy repulsed him, pitching him across the floor of his cell. A short sharp cry escaped his lips as his vision grew hazy.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A feminine voice remarked from somewhere. Mark blinked. Was he hearing things? He forced himself to sit up again, squinting as he tried to pick out details from where he thought he heard a voice. Sure enough, there was another cell just like his across the hall, and in the doorway there sat a womanly figure. A tight green jumpsuit wrapped around her bodily curves, stained and dishevelled long hair draping around her head and cascading down her shoulders. She seemed relaxed, but only because she had no other choice. "Gives you a nasty shock. And you can forget about trying to escape. There's no way out." Mark scrambled towards the doorway, a spark of hope flourishing as he discovered he was not alone in his imprisonment.

"Who are you?" He asked, desperate.

"I am Madame Hydra. 'Viper' to some." She replied dismissively. Mark frowned. He did not like the idea of using aliases in this kind of situation.

"Right… What's your real name?" He pressed. The woman turned, a vibrant green eye staring violently at him through long locks of dark hair.

"As far as you should be concerned, those are my real names." She bit back. Her adamance was enough to prove her at least human. Or so she seemed. Mark was growing more and more confused.

"How long have you been here for?" He queried after a moment.

"Long enough to know there's no escape." Viper stated seemingly dodging the question.

"What's that, days? Weeks?" Mark pressed with a scoff.

"Do you take me for a weakling?" She curtly retorted. "I've been here for months! A prisoner of these foul creatures."

"Before I passed out, I saw someone who looked just like me." He described.

"As did I." Viper concurred.

"Are they… replacing us?" Mark wondered offhandedly. Viper leaned back, her head touching the edge of the doorframe.

"I don't know." She replied. Viper stayed silent after that, refusing to answer any more of his musing spoken aloud.

---

Days passed. Or, at least, it felt like days. There was no way of accurately discerning the passage of time and Mark suddenly found himself longing for a wristwatch… or even sunlight. Right now the only way he could tell how long he'd been incarcerated was by the length of his stubble. A professional and orderly man, he always shaved first thing in the morning. His routine had now been railroaded by the sudden change of events and he was starting to miss it.

Despite what 'Viper' had told him, Mark refused to give up hope of escape. His spent his time carefully examining every single inch of every wall, the floor and even the ceiling (to the best of his ability). Despite the flat steel, he knew there had to be something he could make use of. One day, during one of his searches, he was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The odd and unfamiliar sound drew his attention to the door of his cell. No one walked around here… who could it be. He was shocked to see a trio of bipedal beings, very humanoid in shape but none of them in appearance. Two of which were big and burly, equipped with weapons of a very alien design, the third was quite skinny and lanky with a belt full of foreign tools hanging from his waist.

He did not know it, would not for some time, but these were Skrulls.

They stopped across from his cell, using external mechanisms to access Viper's. "Human!" The leading one rasped as they entered. They disappeared from view and Mark heard the voice of Viper cry out,

"Take one more step and I'll strangle you with your own guts!" It was a threat that no ordinary man would ever take lightly. But the Skrulls were not human, nor did they know of Viper's reputation. Above all, they didn't care. She was their prisoner. A fact proven soon enough when the crackle of electricity resounded from her cell, accompanied by a flash of light and a shout of pain from the woman. "Augh!" It persisted and a faint chuckle could be heard from the bemused Skrulls. That made Mark angry and he pounded on the metal of his cell.

"Hey! HEY! You wanna hurt someone, you green-skinned bastards? Hurt me!" He shouted, hoping to draw their attention. They seemed to ignore him, Viper still grunting and stifling her cries of pain. "You get off on hurting a woman you sick green freaks?! You're nothing, you hear me?! A bunch of lousy, useless, nothings!" The crackling ceased, the glow faded, but Mark kept up his tirade. "Come 'ere and I'll rip you a new one! I'll turn your eyes inside out! I'll make you regret the day you were born!" That got their attention. The Skrulls slowly departed Viper's cell, looking particularly annoyed as Mark grinned. "Yeah, that's right. Come on in! I'll take you all on!" He threatened, beckoning them onwards.

"I tire of your endless prattle, slave!" The lead scrawny one snapped. "Silence him!" The bars to his cell were deactivated and Mark did hesitate before lunging towards the three. He was abruptly rebuffed as one swung the butt of his weapon around and smashed him across the face, knocking him back into his cell. The two Skrull guards advanced, swinging their weapons again to strike the fallen Mark over and over. Then boots and fists came crashing into his body as the Skrulls beat him down. After a time, their scrawny superior snickered and recalled his goons. "That should teach you a listen." He hissed.

They left him alone after that, Mark groaning in pain as bruises blossomed across his body. He lay still on the floor of his cell for a moment, just nursing his injuries as stillness was greatly favoured over movement. He finally mustered up the fortitude to crawl towards the door of his cell.

"That was either very arrogant or very foolish of you." Viper remarked from across the hall. Mark answered at first with a groan as he propped himself up against the wall. He craned his head to a see her singular green eye staring right at him. She was seated by the door again.

"You're human. I'm human. As far as I can tell, we're alone against these freaks. I don't care what you think of it, I knew what I was doing." He responded. In truth his actions were a touch more chivalrous than he'd ever let on. Despite his darker demeanour and generally less-than-pure intentions, he wasn't one to sit idly by and let a woman be treated so violently.

"I've suffered worse." Viper mused in a softer tone as she brushed some hair from her face.

"I'm sure you have." Mark retorted non-chalantly. Silence followed, broken only by Mark's heavy breathing as he recovered from the beating.

"They come by on a semi-regular basis." Viper stated aloud.

"Why?" Mark pried.

"Information mostly. I am… was a high-ranking officer in Hydra." She replied, sounding almost wistful as she recalled better days. Mark recognized the name of the organization, one known in every history textbook for being the advanced science wing of the infamous Nazis… not to mention the enduring foes of patriotic Captain America.

"They wanna know how the organization works?" He wondered.

"Likely so they can take it down from within." Viper mused with a scoff. "Silly, stupid things. They'll never grasp that Hydra cannot be stopped. Cut off one head, two more will take its place." She smiled proudly to herself. But Mark was too busy thinking to notice.

"Wait a minute…" He trailed off, his mind (sharpened by pain) began to ponder things, questioning their reality one more time, "if they wanted you so they could infiltrate Hydra, they must've wanted me so they could infiltrate the Masters of Evil."

"Zemo's little band?" Viper queried, sounding bemused.

"Yeah. Them." Mark confirmed. Although he found it ironic that he had now abandoned the ragtag group before things had inevitably spiralled out of hand, he found himself also missing familiar earthen company. "They must want to infiltrate other organizations too. SHIELD… even the Avengers." He realized at length. Silence followed. It appeared Viper was busy digesting what he had to say.

"I'm impressed by the way you think. You're… logical. Calculating." Mark had seldom heard anyone describe him that way. Sure, people praised his 'natural talent', 'hard-working ethic', and 'scientific prowess' even. But never something like 'logical' or 'calculating'. Had he heard her right? Or had he taken one too many kicks to the face?

"Um… thanks. I think." She snickered derisively.

"It was a compliment, idiot."

---

Days turned into weeks, Mark began to tell as much once Viper revealed she had been keeping a tally of how long she'd been imprisoned for. Some quick math deduced how long he'd been imprisoned for, which was a paltry amount compared to her two months. As the days wore on, Mark refused to give up the hope of escape, and he checked and double-checked every inch of his cell. Viper watched as he examined the paneling around the entrance.

"You're still trying to escape?" She asked, sounding both amused and curious simultaneously.

"There's a chance the technology has some similarities to Earthen design." Mark replied, not even looking at her. "If I can find that or anything like it, there's a chance I can short out the door controls." Viper cocked her head.

"You have the skills to do that sort of thing?" She queried.

"I was an engineer once."

"Once?"

"Well, still have the skills. Just never gonna have that job again." Mark answered with a sigh. Viper leaned forward, genuinely interested now. Better than unending silence.

"What happened?"

"Idiocy." Mark said shortly. Viper chuckled.

"Inferior subordinates." She determined, used to the inability of Hydra's footsoldiers to occasionally perform simple tasks.

"Just one." Mark replied, glowering at the mere thought of Connor Peterson. Abandoning his efforts for a moment, he sat and reminisced. "I was respected. I have knowledge, skills, I earned everything I've ever achieved. Then it was all thrown away and I lost it all." The day of the electro-fusion generator explosion lived in his head even when he didn't wish for it to. It was the day his life fell apart, the day when his perfectly-cultivated existence was suddenly undone. "Years of hard work wasted. Years of dedication rendered… meaningless!" He muttered. Viper stayed silent, listening to him carry on. "I spent my whole life climbing the ladder, making something of myself. I will never get over the fact that I lost it all because some idiot made the biggest blunder possible."

"You crave success." Viper determined pointedly. Mark slowly looked to her and Viper noticed a distant longing. A hollowness made by losing everything, by having something so valuable be ripped away and lost forever. It was a sensation she was all too familiar with.

"Not for the reasons you think." He confessed. "I didn't have a… rosy, picturesque childhood. My father was more interested in nursing open another six-pack than he ever was in me. And my mother… well, she tried to care. But caring for herself and her own pain came first. Never far from another half-full bottle of pills." He recounted, staring off into nothingness as new memories emerged. Memories of a childhood that was far from ideal. "I don't blame her. My father, I do. Lazy bastard could've made something of himself if he just rolled off the damn couch once in a while." He whispered angrily. He paused, letting his emotions abate. It had been many years since he'd last seen or spoken to his parents. He didn't even know if they were alive or dead. "If there's one thing they taught me it was how to be self-reliant. If you want to achieve anything, you have to buckle down and work for it. Trust no one but yourself to get the job done." He described. "And that's exactly what I did. Graduated high school with high honours. Graduated college with high honours. Graduated university with high honours. I was going to make something of myself and put so much distance between me and that beer-smelling shack of a home it would stagger the imagination!" It wasn't his intention to spill his history, but countless hours of isolation and failure had caused him to vent his frustrations. But his words, much to Viper's surprise, excited her.

"And did you?" She pried.

"I did. Almost. I was well on the path to it." Mark answered. "I was a chief engineer at Hammer Industries. All I had to do was oversee one successful initiation for the one project old man Hammer himself was throwing all his weight behind. I make that happen, I'd be a made man. Promotions, status, I would have achieved my dream." He emphasized with the motions of his hands, his fingers curled as if grasping at some phantom golden goose. "And then somebody else screwed up. Fumbled the winning throw… and cost me everything." He lowered his hands, the old dejection settling in. Viper said nothing more. In her silence she pondered his openness. She now knew a great deal more about her fellow prisoner than she ever expected to. But unlike others, she didn't find herself put out by his story, snubbing it with the same casual disinterest she showed everyone except for Hydra's elite. Instead she found herself intrigued, curious. A man who would tell her everything… and yet he wasn't fishing for pity. His wounds gave him power, his hurt fueled his rage, his failure was a foundation for a second chance…

Just like her.

"You asked me for my name. I never got yours. A little rude, don't you think?" She wondered. Despite her chosen words, there was no venom or barb behind them. Her fellow prisoner lifted his head and the look in his eyes told her that he was now painfully aware of his overlooked manners.

"My name is Mark. Mark Moran. In certain superhuman circles I go by 'Cobalt'." He responded, defining his alias with air-quotes. Viper noted the shift in his tone.

"You sound disgusted by the name." She mused.

"Well, I didn't pick it. And to be frank. I hate it." Mark grumbled, looking down at his body. "It's this suit. One of my old colleagues said it was 'black and cobalt blue'. The description turned into a moniker, the moniker an alias, and here I am."

"Is Mark short for Markus?" Viper asked after a time.

"Yes." He said simply.

"Mmm… Roman. Like the great conquerors of the ancient world." Viper thoughtfully hummed. "I will call you that. Instead of Cobalt."

---

Weeks turned into months. Hope for escape dwindled until Mark was nearly in the same disparaging state as Viper was. And yet they remained steadfast, bonding over their shared state as humans in an alien prison. Together they weathered the abuse of the Skrulls, meagre portions of food dolled out apparently begrudgingly, as well as the lingering doubts that they would ever see Earth again.

And they talked. It was all the could do. It was either that or silent solidarity, which they only savoured when their bodies told them they needed to sleep. In the same way Viper learned more about Mark, Mark learned more about Viper than he ever thought he'd learn.

"A man came to my orphanage one day, seeking bright-eyed young girls who wanted to 'hold the world in the palm of their hand'. He had no name, at least none that I ever heard. Everyone else called him 'the Kraken'. He was recruiting for Hydra, claiming he wanted to prime the next generation for the new world order. Hydra would only accept the best and we had to prove ourselves."

"What did that look like?" Mark wondered.

"Oh, it took many forms. We were taught how to steal, how to speak dozens of languages, how to handle weapons, how to fight, and how to kill. I knew ten different ways to kill someone with my bare hands by the time I was fourteen." Viper described. "I was determined to win his approval. After the deaths of my family all I wanted was to be someone again, not unlike you Markus. I did whatever I had to do to succeed, to get ahead of the other girls. Finally, Kraken took notice of me."

"We're you the only one he chose?"

"I was the only one to fit within his very strict requirements. He presented me to Hydra's Barons, and I was welcomed as a potential right-hand. He called me 'Viper' first time." She revealed.

"Kraken. Viper. Hydra. Very serpentine trend." Mark noted and Viper chuckled. "And you've been with them ever since."

"They became my family. I've known nothing else, Markus. But the chance to rise up and become the coveted Madame Hydra… it was more success than I could ever dream of." Viper mused, her voice failing to disguise her longing to return to Earth and regain her rightful status within the organization. "Unlike you, Markus, I did not think there would be anything more for me in this life. A scared little girl all alone in the world with only an orphanage in Szekesfehervar to call home… I can't remember how many times I thought my life would end right then and there. But Hydra gave me purpose. They picked me off, dusted me off, and told me to keep going. They kept me going. They're the reason I am who I am today." Now it was Mark's turn to pause and digest, to let her story sink in.

"When I went to school, the history books… well, they never talked about Hydra like you do. They glorified Captain America. You couldn't go three pages without seeing him socking out Adolf Hitler or the Red Skull. Heh, even Zemo I think." He remarked. Viper seemed to understand what he was getting at.

"Hydra has come a long way from being part of the Nazi's. Their goals always reached beyond a so-called 'Third Reich'." She commented.

"How much of your mandate was shaped by them, though?" Mark challenged. She looked to him, her gaze somewhere between deadly serious and cautionary.

"I don't know." She answered truthfully. "I'm a very late generation. We all looked up to the Red Skull, not some man with a silly little moustache. We hail ourselves, we hail Hydra, not some Furher." She looked away and for a moment Mark believed he had pushed things too far. "I care not about that, anyway. I was given a chance to succeed, to be ambitious. And for the rest of my life I will remain eternally grateful for that chance."

"Zemo went his own way." Mark stated at length. "He was Hydra once, not anymore."

"Trying to compare us?" Viper remarked with a smirk. Mark stayed silent and she laughed at his silence. "It's true. There is more room to grow without the old men lording over you and calling all the shots." She decided after a moment. She inhaled slowly. "You've given me much to think about, Markus. That calculating mind of yours challenging my innermost being."

"Well… guess I was just thinking out loud." He replied. "If you like who you are, then just ignore me. Be Viper, be Madame Hydra. Whatever makes you happy." That seemed to be the end of that. Or so he thought.

"Ophelia." She said quietly, just barely catching his attention. "My name is Ophelia." She repeated when her eyes caught his. The softness suddenly hardened. "And if you ever reveal that to anyone, I'll kill you." She threatened. He snorted in amusement.

"Like I'm gonna cross someone who knew ten different ways to kill with her bare hands by the time she was fourteen."

---

One month became another and another. Viper reached five months on her tally, with Mark having been around for the last three. Their outfits and general appearance were beginning to show the wear and tear of time and torture. Both of their bodysuits had holes and stains, ripped after various attacks from their Skrull tormentors. Ophelia's hair was disheveled and unkempt, long and unruly to a point where it merely obscured her face all the time. Mark was on the verge of a full beard and his hair was growing much longer than he preferred.

The imprisonment was awful but the bond they had forged was beginning to make it bearable. Viper was more talkative than she had been during Mark's first few days and the two found much to discuss as they compared histories, goals, and dreams. Mark's desire to succeed and make something of himself seemed to couple well with Ophelia's desire to lead and control. Depite the oddities of their personal beliefs and prior allegiances, the American New York-native and the Hungarian terrorist hit it off well.

"I have a plan." She declared one day, propped up against the door to her cell as MArk leaned against his. "Enough time has passed for me to assume that Baron Strucker may have failed in his efforts to collaborate with AIM. Perhaps SHIELD or the Avengers have taken him down, but it does not matter. All I know is that there is room for me to embark on a solo venture."

"Striking out on your own." Mark surmised.

"Indeed. Making a name for myself under the banner of Hydra." Ophelia agreed. "What are your powers, Markus?" She then wondered.

"The techs who studied me called it 'Betokinesis'. I can manipulate concrete with my mind." Mark described. He watched as a sudden wave of surprise rolled over Viper. Her eyes shimmered, first with recognition, then with realization, then with euphoria.

"Concrete? The very material that shapes the great cities of the world? The very foundation that determines whether a building falls or rises? Concrete!" She exclaimed, her open mouth widening into a smile. "The power you have at your fingertips, Markus!" She gasped in astonishment.

"Well, yes, that's true. But I've never used it on such a broad scale before, only ever in increments." Mark confessed. Viper leaned closer, if she could grasp the bars of the door she'd be clenching them tightly now.

"You must think bigger! I know you have aspirations for yourself, an ambition to be bigger and better than your meagre beginnings. I want you by my side at the start of my new Hydra faction." She revealed. The invitation came completely out of left field and genuinely took Mark by surprise. He shook his head, as if trying to process whether or not he'd heard her correctly.

"You… You want me? To join you?" He repeated incredulously.

"Yes! I believe the two of us working together could accomplish wonders that no one else could ever top! With my leadership and your power to make whole cities bow before us, we could be unstoppable! Dream with me Markus; unchallenged masters of whatever our hearts desire. I can get us started, but you, you will be the keystone of our endeavours." She implored. The offer was riveting and Mark could scarcely believe it.

"I've never thought about using my powers that way. All I've ever done is manipulate portions of concrete." He said aloud. "Hell, I don't even know what my limits are. I've never really tested myself… and Hammer's lab techs were not that thorough."

"I'll help you!" Ophelia promised. Her voice was growing stronger, more energetic the closer she came to realizing her plans. "I believe you are capable of so much more. More than Zemo could ever see, more than Justin Hammer could ever imagine. I want to help you reach that more."

"So I can help you rule the world?" Mark asked, somewhat skeptical still.

"So you can help me be more than what the world would let us be." Ophelia replied. "There's more for us than what our superiors would allow. Let us break free! Let us go and claim our borderless destiny!" Her words were tempting, like sugar laced with honey, and Mark was so tempted to buy into it straightaway.

A sudden bolt of electrostatic energy pitched him across his cell and knocked him to the ground. "Away from the bars, scum." A Skrull enforcer barked as the resident torturer moved on Viper's cell again. This time, Mark was too weakened to try and goad them into shifting targets.

"Markus!" Viper called out, only to be attacked as the Skrulls moved on her.

"Silence, slave! You will speak only when you are told to!" The torturer rasped. Her grunts and cries of pain began to fill the air as Mark slowly pulled himself together. He pushed himself to an upright position, watching the periodic flashes from within her cell.

"Ophelia… If I had some concrete you bastards wouldn't be so tough!" He grumbled, shooting daggers at the empty cell door. His powers were useless without the element. He doubted there was a single piece of concrete in this place. It was all alien metal, not a single ounce of building material to be found.

But… surely… surely his powers were not so limited. Surely he could manipulate substances similar to concrete. He had to try.

Moving to a sitting position, Mark closed his eyes and and focused on his abilities. A long time ago, in a distant experimentation lab Justin Hammer set up, the techs had taught him how to hone his abilities. His powers were connected to his mind and focus was a part of the controlling process. He had worked on it until controlling concrete became second nature to him. But now he needed to dive deep into that control process. He needed to find concrete or something similar that his powers could control.

It was almost meditative. His power felt like a different part of his being altogether. Finding it would be the key to broadening the horizons of his betokinesis. He tuned out everything, every sight, every sound, and focused. Concrete. Concrete. Concrete. There had to be something. Mark reached out, like a blind man groping about a darkened room, searching for that familiar tangible sensation.

Some faint appeared. Perhaps his obsession with concrete was creating a mental mirage or maybe, just maybe, there was something here he could control. He could see it in his mind's eye, tickling the periphery of his powers. He concentrated harder, sweat forming on his brow as he allowed his consciousness to slip into his powers. He needed to find it. Concrete! Concrete! Concrete! His mental flow kept it all going, sustaining his search as his willpower raced ahead of his body's physical limits. He needed the power. He craved it. Desired it. The power to control it would be his.

Mark had no idea how long he focused his powers for. But the effort and exertion proved too much for his mere mortality and he passed out before he could find a satisfactory answer.

---

Present day…

CP - You have a very interesting way of getting my attention.

? - Good. She gave it to you.

CP - What do you want?

? - To meet. We need to talk, Cybernaut.

CP - About what?

? - Not like this. Too many ears. We need to do this in person.

CP - Fine. But we do it my way.

He reread the string of text messages as if trying to decide whether or not the conversation was real or a figment of his imagination. Of all the things that had arisen in recent months, this was one situation Connor was not at all wanting to contend with.

He had contacted the phone number listed on the back of his cafe receipt. A mysterious individual was trying to reach him, claiming to have information that he needed to know… and one who was aware of his alias as an Avenger. It was all very cat-and-mouse, too much so for the technopath. But a deal had been hashed out. Connor truly did not care for spygames right now, if this mystery-caller wanted to prove themselves then they had to do so on his terms. Right now, all the proof he needed to believe their seriousness was if they'd be willing to sit through a movie of his choosing. If they could withstand him for that long, that would prove they were truly desperate to get ahold of him and he would hear them out.

He stood in line, near the front, with a large bucket of popcorn in one hand and two tickets in the other for the midnight premier of Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Dressed quite casually, few would ever suspect him to be an Avenger unless they managed to see the spots of metal lining his hand or the veins of cyberware bordering the underside of his ear. The team had let him take a break in order to recover from nearly being crushed to death by the Red Hulk and Connor was grateful for it. Too much was happening too quickly. He needed to stop, to breathe… and indulge in his nerdy side.

He checked his texts again, his powers letting him read them word for word without ever opening his phone. The time was set and so was the location. If they didn't show up, that was just fine by him. He'd get to enjoy the movie he'd been eagerly awaiting ever since the first trailer appeared online. If they did show up…

"I'll cross that bridge if I get to it." He muttered to himself. He looked around, countless other Transformers enthusiasts were lined up behind him. Either nerdy franchise-lovers like himself, action junkies who wanted some explosive 'Bayhem', or bespectacled teenagers who just wanted to see their toys come to life for the third time. Connor counted himself among the first and last categories, lamenting not having a Transformers-themed shirt to wear. "Maybe I'll go shopping tomorrow. Been a long time since I did any toy collecting." He mused.

Suddenly a flash of color caught his eye. He glanced up and noticed someone was making their way towards him. It was a woman, wearing dark-washed jeans and an off-cream blouse, with a greyish jean jacket draped over one arm. She wasn't necessarily dolled up but she had just enough makeup on to accentuate her already-pretty features. The shock came when Connor realized he knew her. Her face alone was enough of a tell…

More importantly, he knew that blue hair.

"Dayna?!" He exclaimed in recognition.

"Yeah! Hi!" The waitress from the cafe greeted with a perky smile. She slipped under the queuing rope and stood next to him. "Dayna McCree. Nice to finally meet you outside the cafe." She introduced, offering him a hand.

"Uh… yeah…" Connor slowly shook it, still bewildered. "You… You slipped me that note?" He asked.

"Yep. I did that." Dayna affirmed. "I'm sorry, I'm sure you're probably freaking out on the inside." Connor recovered a portion of himself and found the knowhow to start asking questions.

"I just want to know who you're with. Let me guess, SHIELD? SWORD?" Dayna hummed and hawed for a moment.

"Well… you've never heard of it." She said simply.

"Right…" Remembering his manners, Connor passed over the second ticket he had.

"So… Transformers: Dark of the Moon. You're a fan I take it?" Dayna wondered.

"Um, yes, have been for… well, since I discovered it." He replied. She was trying to be friendly and make conversation, but Connor still felt rather awkward about the identity reveal. Dayna nodded in understanding.

"Nice." Connor gave her a once over. When not having to obey/be constrained by the professionalism of her waitress job, she seemed rather bubbly and outgoing. She definitely seemed more than happy to be here. And he had to admit, she was already better company than some stuffy career-agent in a suit.

The doors to the theatre opened and the steady stream of eager moviegoers filed in, passing off their tickets before searching for seats. "I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theatre." Dayna whispered excitedly as Connor led her to the furthest row.

"What was it you watched?" He queried.

"I don't know! That's how long it's been!" She replied with a smile that revealed some incredibly white teeth. They arrived at two seats dead in the middle of the theatre, right against the back wall.

"Best seats in the house, booked these the day tickets went on sale." He revealed as they sat down beside each other.

"And you got two because you were hoping T'Challa would come with you, right?" Dayna mused. Connor arched a brow.

"It's a little unnerving how you know about that." He stated.

"Sorry. I promise I'll explain." Dayna apologized with a sheepish smile. Connor softened.

"I sure hope so." He replied, offering his popcorn bucket to her. Tension broken, she happily took a handful and began to munch away as Connor eyed her. She didn't behave like he would have expected a spy to act (of course that may have been the whole idea but it really boiled down to how un-spy-like she carried herself) and the woman was slowly becoming an enigma he could not wrap his head around. "I can sense active technology within at least one-hundred yards of me. So how is it I've never felt any bugs or cameras when I'm in the Mansion?" He asked, loud enough to be heard but quiet enough so his question did not rise over the din of excited moviegoers.

"I've never actually been in the Mansion." Dayna answered between mouthfuls. "Walked around it, sure. But I've never set foot inside." Well, that answered one question. Connor suddenly remembered the handful of moments he had sensed technology watching him and the team. The first instant he was acutely aware of it happened after they had subdued Ronan in the middle of New York City. He chalked the sensation up to a public eager to record once-in-a-lifetime footage. But the second was too acute to be brushed off so easily. Someone had been watching him, Black Panther and Miss Marvel subdue the Split-Second Squad. And again, the same sensation just after dealing with Red Hulk at the New York harbour. Too acute to ignore, to direct to brush off.

Had it been Dayna this whole time?

The screen grew dark as the house lights suddenly dimmed and all thoughts were banished from his mind. Connor's eyes widened slightly and he was instantly riveted to the screen. He forgot all about Dayna and the intrigue. All that mattered was his favourite franchise on the big screen.

Company logos gave way to space, a slow descending shot revealing towering metal spires. They interwove to take on honeycomb-like shapes, revealing a multi-layered alien world that Connor knew well. It was a different take, but the notions remained the same. Cybertron!

Familiar music swelled and Optimus Prime began to narrate, "We were once a peaceful race of intelligent, mechanical beings. But then came the war…"

Panning down across a vast metallic landscape, mechanical humanoids exchanged fire, blaster rounds and cannonfire zipping back and forth as a war sprawled across the vast landscape. Catwalks and gantries were battlefields to countless soldiers exchanging fire, "between the Autobots, who fought for freedom, and the Decepticons, who dreamt of tyranny." Picked out quite quickly were new, beastial forms, like giant, metal, predatory felines with gun emplacements strapped to their backs. Connor was in awe, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Overmatched and outnumbered, our defeat was all but certain." The whole theatre seemed to shake as the deafening rumble of engines heralded the passing of a massive spacecruiser that suddenly roared onto the screen. Connor swept over the design and he recognized it to be the Autobot Ark, based on promos and clips circling the web. "But in the war's final days, one Autobot ship escaped the battle."

The Ark dove and bobbed through Cybertron's layers, narrowly fitting between each structure while hotly pursued by Decepticon seeker jets. The camera followed every rapid motion, Connor counting four Decepticon fighters and then some. 'I bet Starscream is leading those. Oooooo maybe Thundercracker and Skywarp are with him! And maybe Dirge, and Thrust, and Ramjet-' He thought to himself.

"It was carrying a secret cargo which would have changed our planet's fate… a desperate mission… our final hope…" The forward canopy of the Ark split away from the bow, rotating down and sliding aft on rails in order to bring its armaments to bear. Autobot gunners opened fire with heavy cannons and Cybertronian anti-aircraft batteries, pelting the Decepticons hounding them as they made a break for the surface. Space was within reach, the planet giving away to a blanket of stars that reminded him of his own brief time in space while hunting Kang the Conqueror.

Suddenly, the lead Decepticon fired a missile, which itself split open and launched nearly a dozen smaller homing warheads; a cluster-seeker missile. The ordinance homed in on the Ark and struck home with force, fire and smoke erupting from shattered engines as blue energon flames licked the hull. The Ark tumbled aimlessly into empty space, bits and pieces of wrecked debris trailing behind it as the vessel disappeared among the stars. "A hope that vanished."

So far, so good. One of the best starts to a Transformers movie.

Events on Earth now played out before him. According to the film, the Ark crashed on the dark side of Earth's moon, which was picked up by scientists in America who took their findings to President John F. Kennedy… and the space race began. Not to beat Russia to the stars, but to beat them to whatever had landed on the moon. 'Clever.' The technopath thought with a grin.

The cacophonous roar of Saturn 5's boosters was even more deafening than the Ark's first appearance had been and Connor was convinced this time that the entire theatre was indeed shaking as the rocket lifted off and marked the beginning of the Apollo 11 mission that would see Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon as Michael Collins piloted them to and from the Earth. He felt a hand grabbing his arm and turned to see Dayna staring right at him with stern vivid eyes.

"Don't scream." She commanded, appearing deadly serious.

Connor was taken aback, his mind racing as to why she'd said that. All of a sudden, their bodies began to grow transparent. For his part, Connor was too surprised to say anything, other than sit slack-jawed as the pair were teleported out of the theatre and vanished without a trace, leaving only a bucket of popcorn behind…

---

Two months ago…

"Good night, Steve." Janet called out as Cap turned into his room.

"Get some rest, Cap. You earned it." Tony echoed, Steve shooting them both a smile before he entered his darkened room and closed the door behind him. His happy expression fell as he dropped a dufflebag on his bed and unzipped it. Reaching in, he pulled out a fragment of his broken shield, the red and white stripes still perfectly spotless as they reflected his own downcast visage. Tugging down his hood, Steve looked on at the sole scrap of his past he voraciously clung to.

Suddenly, his face became that of Hela's, reminding him of the promise he made and the interaction he staged with her. He knew now that someone in the great beyond hungered for his very soul, that death was ready to claim him at a moment's notice. It further proved that Captain America was a man out of time, hunted by Kang for destroying the future, wanted by Hela for the shadow of death that followed him…

Steve loosed a sigh. He wasn't sure where to go from here. His shield was gone, did he move on? Upgrade? Become more than a relic of the last world war? He didn't know and he doubted a simple night's sleep could cure his thoughts-

"Steven Rogers." An eerily familiar voice made him jump and Cap whirled around only to find himself emerging from the darkness of his room. Wide-eyed and mouth agap, Steve was too shocked to react as a very alien-looking weapon shot him at point blank range and knocked him unconscious.

One Captain America lay on the floor, the other stood above him… primed to take his place. "The infiltration has begun." Pitt'o Nili reported into a wrist-com as the Skrull shifted back to his native form. As he did, a trio of pigeons flew in through the open window in Steve's room. They alighted on the ground only to grow and change as they morphed into Skrulls themselves. Together they helped Pitt'o arrange Captain America's body on the floor where they etched glowing Skrullian characters around him as they performed the ritual of transfiguration, completing their agents' transformation into Steve Rogers.

Every memory, every emotion, everything that made Steve who he was now belonged to Pitt'o Nili.

"His essence is mine now." The Skrull stated as he morphed back into the form of Captain America.

"So it is written." His companions proclaimed in unison.

"Queen Veranke is already on Earth and will make contact soon." His commanding officer stated. "But you are to begin disassembling the Avengers."

"Understood." Pitt'o affirmed as the real Captain America was carted away.

---

Present day…

A light flicked on in his cell and the binders around his wrists began to thrum with power. Against his will, his arms were spread away from his body while he himself was suspended in the air. A trio of Skrulls entered as the energy field around his cell door dissipated. The wiry interrogator led the way and was flanked by two armed guards. He saw them and he chuckled.

"Please. Tell me what you find so funny." The interrogator rasped.

"Little green men." He remarked with a smirk. "You speak English pretty well for a Martian. So what do you want?"

"We already have everything we want from you," the interrogator answered as he fitted a large glove over his hand. The fingertips were sharpened and microtransistors crackled with ambient electrical power, "but perhaps there is something you'd like to tell us?" He queried.

"There is." He stated boldly. "Name, Steven Rogers. Rank, Captain. Serial Number, five-four-nine-eight-five-eight-seven-zero. And that's all you're ever going to get from me." Captain America valiantly told them. The interrogator merely growled and advanced upon him.

Above, through a one-way window, the Skrull warden and base commander watched the torture session unfold. "Sir, I do not understand. What is it we want from this animal? We have all the knowledge he possesses." The warden queried.

"The Queen wants to learn how to make these humans submit, so break him." The base commander responded. "It's been two of their Earth months and he still hasn't broken. He hasn't given us anything. He's taken punishment that no human should be able to withstand. Our scientists, our shaman, they have no idea what's keeping him going." He described. Steve Rogers, moreso than some of their other prisoners, had whethered his imprisonment shockingly well. The Skrull were bewildered and were getting desperate.

"I've heard the Queen has ordered a new tactic." The warden murmured off hand.

"Indeed. Until now it has been classified. But I will share it with you and I want you to get it ready." The base commander answered.

---

Meanwhile, back on Earth…

When his body finally solidified, Connor was more than a little shook up as he landed flat on his behind somewhere that wasn't a movie theatre. The air was far crisper, and there was a distinct lack of popcorn as well as no eagerly-awaited move playing in front of him. Dayna did not appear nearly as perturbed as him, "Never actually moved a second person with me before. Not bad for a first try." She commented aloud as she casually stretched. Connor scrambled to his feet.

"Okay, one, where are we? Two, who are you really? Three… why aren't we watching Transformers right now?!" He demanded in quick succession. Dayna, still as calm as ever, met him with a knowing yet bemused look.

"One, we're someplace works for both of us. I'm nowhere near any prying eyes or listening ears and you are where you can get away from technology. No chatty programs, no screaming motherboards, just a quiet rural getaway. It's no cabin in Montana, but I hope it works." She replied, gesturing to their surroundings.

It was then that Connor discovered they were in the middle of an alpine meadow, framed by towering mountains on every side of them as a fire-gold hue let the sky thanks to a still-setting sun. Their feet were surrounded by long blades of lush green grass as well as colorful flowers stretching in every direction. It was very idyllic and tranquil. They were the only two humans for miles around. "Two… well, I'll tell you everything in a moment. Three, relax… I made us a picnic." Connor followed her hand and laid eyes on a blanket already spread out on the grass along with a pair of coolers.

"Oh… so you did." He murmured rather taken aback by how prepared she was for this moment. It was… thoughtful? The beleaguered technopath couldn't quite find the words or come to grips with himself yet. In all honesty, he'd rather be watching Transformers right now. That was much easier to comprehend. "Look, circling back to two, how did you do that? Teleport us, I mean. Last time I heard about someone doing that, it was a guy named Mar-Vell." He asked.

"I'm familiar with the Captain." Dayna stated, surprising him yet again. Pulling back her sleeve, she revealed a very technical bracer around her wrist. At once her clothes shimmered and Dayna was suddenly garbed in the armored suit of a Kree soldier. Connor's eyes widened as he recognized the design, it was identical to the ones worn by the Kree that had come with Ronan. "Does this answer your question?" She wondered. Kree tech, and she had plenty of it. It was then that Connor noted something very poignant about her.

"You're not blue." He stated pointedly. It was true. Whereas Mar-Vell and all the other Kree he'd encountered had blue skin beneath their helmets, Dayna's was still as pink as his.

"And T'Challa isn't pale." Dayna replied as her body shimmered once more and she returned to wearing human clothes. "But, like humans, Kree all have one thing in common regardless of our skin color…" Stooping down as she spoke, she pressed her thumb against the spiked stem of a rose. When she was standing again, she held out her pricked thumb to reveal a drop of deep blue blood forming on the skin, "we're exactly the same on the inside." Connor glanced back up at her searching eyes, then down at her bleeding thumb, then back up at her eyes then down at her thumb.

"Huh." Was all he could say.

Dayna cleaned off her thumb and began guiding him over to her prepared picnic. "My name is Day-Narr. I'm a deep-cover operative with the Kree Intelligence Division's Xeno-studies Directorate." She revealed. "But I'll get into the details later. Come on, let's eat something." She sat and motioned for him to join her. Feeling like he was functioning on autopilot, Connor slowly did so. His head was swimming. This was a lot to take in.

"So… you're a Kree who isn't blue?" He asked, still hung up on the subject.

"Well, yeah. 'Pink Kree' is the term. We're no different from Blue Kree, we just have a different skin color." Dayna affirmed, busily unloading the contents of the coolers. One of them was properly insulated which allowed for plenty of hot food to spread out along with an assortment of sandwhiches, salads and drinks.

"Right…" He trailed off, studying the impressive spread laid out between them. "Geez, you've got enough for a regular buffet here."

"Sorry, I was trying to plan ahead. I know your favourite from the cafe menu so I tried to pick out similar things." Dayna explained. That same faintly off-putting notion that she knew so much about him and he was still playing catch-up tickled the back of his senses in a cautionary manner.

Still, she knew what she was doing. It was a goodly assortment of good food… and it would be rude of him to refuse…

---

Elsewhere…

The torture had ended and Captain America was back to his isolation. He had spent his time alone exercising; performing sit-ups, push-ups, even pull-ups using a few sturdy pipes lining the ceiling. They kept his mind sharp and focused, his willpower indomitable, but the constant query remained; would he ever escape? The nagging sensation that he might never see Earth again, that he would never walk with the Avengers again, weighed heavily upon him.

Fate, however, had a different path in mind.

The bars across his cell entry slid open and the torturer returned with his retinue of guards. Cap stood, realizing the restraints on his wrists had not been activated. He questioned the sudden turn of events, trying to figure out what was afoot this time.

All at once, a Skrull was thrown through the open door as a crackle of energy exploded just outside. The three with Cap turned in fright as none other than Hulk burst into the cell, smashing two more together with a bellow. Hawkeye and Black Panther followed him in, subduing the guards with an ice arrow and Vibranium daggers respectively. Iron Man and Thor quickly followed suit, filling up the cell as the torturer cowered in the corner. "You are a very difficult man to find, Captain." Panther mused as he shredded Cap's bonds. Steve scoffed.

"How stupid do you think I am?" He growled, lashing out with a haymaker that took Iron Man down hard, the faceplate of the faux armor flying off into splintered shards as pale skin gave way to green… revealing the Skrull for what he really was.

The jig was up and the torturer knew it. "Enough of this! Secure the prisoner!" He barked. 'Hulk' lunged to comply, but a low jab from Steve knocked the wind out of him as a right cross put him down for the count and he also morphed back to his natural Skrull form. Steve moved quickly, his zenith physique allowing him to leap over incoming arrows from 'Hawkeye' and land a dropkick that slammed the Skrull into the ground. 'Black Panther' fell next as Steve snatched him out of the air and slammed him into a wall.

The fake Mjolnir in the hands of 'Thor' sure glowed like the real thing, but the Skrull imposter made for a poor thunder god as Cap belted him hard and knocked him out cold with one hit. Grabbing his fallen weapon, Steve hurled it towards the one-way window and shattered it, th fake bowling over the observing Skrulls as shattered circuitry fell from the broken hammer. One of the Skrulls was quick to act.

"We need reinforcements in the prison block! Now!" A lieutenant commander barked into his comms.

"Calm yourself, Kl'rt." The base commander countered as he picked himself up. "This human is no threat. There is nothing special about Captain America. And besides, where is he going to go?" That put him at ease, until a report came from the guards investigating the cell.

"Commander, there is no sign of the human. And the Interrogator… he is missing." The base commander frowned.

Captain America had been clever. He used his time in the cell to know exactly where to hide in the ceiling and he'd been smart enough to grab the Skrull interrogator and bring him along. Now, hiding out away from prying eyes, the supersoldier was ready to do some interrogating of his own. "N-No… Stay away. Stay away from me!" The Skrull shrieked as Cap slammed him up against a wall.

"I've got some questions for you now." The unkempt Captain snapped. "Where are we? What is this place?"

"Please don't hurt me!" The interrogator shrieked as Cap grasped him by the throat.

"How do I get out?!" Steve growled, more threatening than ever.

"O-Out?" The Skrull repeated, "There is no way out." Cap didn't believe him and forced the Skrull to accompany him as he dragged his snivelling hide along. Eventually ejecting him from the roof, they emerged into an empty corridor. The Skrull whimpered on the ground as Cap got his bearings. There was an adjacent set of windows… and the sight beyond shocked him.

The rings of Saturn were very bright and very vivid…

---

The food was delicious and Connor felt a bit more at ease. He had to give Dayna credit, she knew how to set a scene well. As they placed empty contains back into the coolers, leaving the drinks out, the technopath had become more comfortable and more appreciative of his new surroundings. "Well, you certainly know how to plan a picnic. I'll give you that." He commented.

"Sorry for springing this on you. I was hoping this might make up for it." Dayna replied with an apologetic smile.

"Well, it's a welcome change from the spy games I'm used to." The technopath remarked. "You said you're a… a deep-cover operative?"

"With the Kree Intelligence Division's Xeno-studies Directorate, yes." Dayan added.

"Right. That. So, what, you're spying on us?"

"No! Well, not exactly." Dayna exclaimed, then corrected. "Look, my job is to keep an eye out for non-native communication frequencies, transmission signals, to see if anyone else is interested in the planet. I've got a pretty good idea what Earth signals are like. So one's that aren't jump right out at me." She explained. "Lately, I've been getting a pattern of non-human signals that have been showing up more frequently." Tapping on her wrist-cuff, a holographic projection appeared displaying various radiographs that Connor was familiar with.

"Radio, television, all perfectly normal broadcast bandwidths." He noted.

"Right," Dayna then isolated one in particular, "here's one that isn't." She was right. Connor wasn't even sure he recognized the bandwidth type, let alone the frequency range. "It's been very popular as of late. Showing up in multiple locations around New York. That has me greatly concerned and, to be honest, you should be too." She added darkly. "Now as far as I can tell, it's encrypted. I'm wondering if your technopathy might help break it in." At that, Connor pursed his lips and frowned.

"You're a little out of luck in that regard." He said. "We pulled all kinds of stuff like this off Ronan, Mar-Vell and the rest, and I'm still struggling to decipher Kree tech." He explained. "You're asking me to decipher something that is alien but isn't Kree? I think you're barking up the wrong tree…" Glancing at her wrist-cuff, he tilted his head to the left and right to get a better look at it. "What is this, anyway?"

"It's a passive listening device designed to pick up existing transmissions." Dayna answered. "I walk around the city and it picks up all sorts of things. Namely this inhuman stuff." Connor looked intrigued. "Look, I think I might be able to lend a hand. I can get you access your technopathy normally struggles with. I'm just hoping you might be able to make some sense of it. It may be alien, but it's a communications transmission. Those work the same universally, right?" She insisted. Tapping on the holograph, she quickly opened up a settings tab to allow Connor access to the inner-workings of her wrist-cuff.

"Uh… what did you do?" He asked.

"Let me put it this way; it's like I opened up the 'settings' on a phone." She explained, removing the device entirely and passing it to him. Connor accepted it, looking it over curiously.

"So… you want me to play around with it." He clarified.

"Yeah. Just to see if you can have any luck with the encryption." She affirmed, leaning closer to watch. Already in his hands, Connor's mind was flooded with active data. Working with the absconded Kree tech had been helpful when it came to broadening his horizons. But he still had some troubles with it.

For now, familiar rhythms filled his mind, the unique 'speech patterns' of Kree tech slowly rising in volume. Certain simple functions were already at his command, but he needed to be more in-depth to break an encryption. Dayna had set him up with the sequencer, he just needed to make sure he used it right. It reminded him of passwords on computers. So the trick would be to align the algorithm just so in order to reveal the actual character it was hiding. Most were designed to be step-locked, the program shifted one character ahead to better hide the chosen character.

Reaching up with one hand, he started twisting the sequencer, listening with his powers for the right harmony. In theory, the tech would let him know the closer he got to the correct state of the non-human transmission. He adjusted his approach, his powers letting him sense both the foreign transmission and the Kree tech separately. He started working the holograph, noting how the hardlight display responded to his every touch. Connor listened as he did, making a few adjustments here and there as several pieces started to become coherent. It was still largely gibberish, though, and he struggled greatly.

After a time, he called it quits, having revealed three seemingly-random characters. "Looks like I can't do much more than that." He relented with a sigh as he returned Dayna's device. "Those mean anything to you." The Kree woman stared for a moment, seemingly enraptured.

"I wish they didn't." She said gravely. "It's Skrullian." Connor blinked.

"As in… the Skrulls? Like the shape-shifting aliens?" He asked.

"The same." Dayna confirmed. "There's whispers the Skrull Empire wants Earth to become their new homeworld."

"And what do the Kree want it for?" Connor asked.

"Strategic importance. Believe it or not, this sector of the Milky Way is a very tactically desirable location. Or so I've been told."

"Mar-Vell said much the same."

"Yeah. Imagine my surprise when I found out he was here too, against protocol to boot."

"Is that what you meant by 'you're being watched'?" Connor asked after a moment.

"I didn't know it was the Skrulls exactly, but… yeah, along those lines." Dayna ran a hand through her hair, as if struggling to say more. "Connor… Avengers Mansion was one of the spots I picked up this transmission from." She confessed.

The technopath was aghast. "So… Tony and Fury were telling the truth…" He realized to his dismay. "But… B-But an alien shape-shifter could just be taking on our appearances and we'd never know about it, right? Like, Hawkeye could walk right past me and I wouldn't bat an eye. But it's not Hawkeye! It's a Skrull! They're just using our forms to use our tech so we'll never noticed!" He hoped he was on to something. Dayna tugged on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately that's now how Skrull's operate…" She began.

---

Another day of imprisonment, another tally on the wall. Using an improvised shiv wrought from a piece of scrap ripped off the wall, Viper had a growing collection of marks in the corner she'd been etching them in. She wondered if there would be enough to cover the whole cell, wall to wall, one day. But that was despair talking. It was easy to despair.

She tried to think about something else. She hadn't heard anything from Mark since the Skrulls zapped him. A part of Viper fleetingly wondered if he was dead, another opportunity wasted senselessly. Or maybe he was just unconscious… or maybe just avoiding her. Had she come on too strongly about him joining her new Hydra faction? He had not given her a definitive answer before going silent. Maybe he was not as interested as she believed he could be…

Suddenly, a panel from the ceiling came crashing down into the room and the body of a Skrull followed it. Viper recognized the interrogator and her hatred burned. But then someone else dropped in. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was Captain America.

Or was it…

"Stay back!" She cried, grabbing the interrogator and holding her blade to his neck. "I don't know what kind of trick this is, Skrull, but if you value this one's life you'll do exactly as I say." She threatened.

"Ma'am, I'm a prisoner here just like-" He stopped, pausing as he recognized her, "Viper! You're Madame Viper, right? One of Baron Strucker's lieutenants. You work for Hydra."

"Do you really expect me to believe you're Captain America?" She scoffed. "I've seen lizards still faces."

"We fought once, on Hydra Island." Cap continued.

"If I had fought Captain America, then Captain America would be dead." Viper retorted haughtily.

"They replaced you," Cap realized, "the Viper I met… the Viper we fought must have been one of them." At that revelation, he raised his hands and slowly approached.

"What are you doing?" Viper demanded.

"I am Captain America, miss." He stated. "I'm a human, and I'm guessing you are too." Despite his words, Viper had seen enough to not take any chances with random visitors to her cell. She threw the interrogator at him, lashing out with her shiv, but Cap was quick and disarmed her effectively. But he held out her weapon anyway. "I believe this is yours." He proffered. Snatching it from his grip, Viper held him at knifepoint, determined to kill if need be. "I am not a Skrull. We may be enemies back on Earth, but right now, we have to work together." Steve promised. "I don't like it any better than you, but we have to trust each other. It's the only chance either of us have at getting home." The sincerity in his voice and his lack of defensive movement was enough to suggest he may be telling the truth. Seeing as he wasn't begging for his life like the interrogator was, Viper decided to trust him. For now.

"Where are we?" She asked as she backed off.

"Some kind of flying saucer." Cap replied and Viper rolled her eyes. He still had a 1940s mindset. "I think I saw Saturn out a window." That got her attention.

"Saturn…?" Cap moved on the interrogator, hoisting him up off the ground and shoving him against the nearest wall.

"We need answers. So start talking!" He barked. "Why are you Skrulls replacing people on Earth? What do you want?" For the first time since his kidnapping, the interrogator chuckled.

"You will not hurt me. We know you." He sneered. A moment passed and then Cap released him.

"Maybe I won't. But I can't be responsible for what she may do." He replied, stepping back and letting a livid Viper step forward. The Skrull gulped nervously as Viper flicked the sharpened edge of her shiv.

"I can't wait to watch you hang from your own intestines… assuming you have some." She hissed. That loosened his lips.

"Th-There is a prophecy among the Skrull people, one that foretold the end of our world. And it came to pass… for Galactus came to Skrullos. The end had come, for Galactus is a force of nature. He cannot be reasoned with or bargained with. He has no conscience or mercy. He only consumes." Steve frowned, neither he nor Viper knew what a 'Galactus' was. "The Skrull people were scattered across the galaxy. There were rumors, however, a belief that the same prophecy that foretold the end of Skrullos told of a new Skrull homeworld." Cap put two and two together in an instant.

"You're invading Earth!" The interrogator smiled smugly.

"Our agents have been on your world for over a year now. Learning. Infiltrating. We have replaced humans in key strategic locations all to facilitate the transition."

"Transition? You've come to wipe us all out!" Viper snarled.

"No, not all of you." The interrogator countered. "Those who submit will be spared and kept as slaves. Even if the two of you were to get off this ship, it's too late. We have Skrulls in every organization on Earth. I only tell you this because the invasion you spoke of? It is already over. You lost." Cap and Viper remained silent as he finished. The potential weight of this information taking a heavy toll on their minds. It was Viper who handed to the task first.

"I want to know what color its blood is. Step aside, Avenger." She snapped. But Cap grabbed the Skrull by the throat and lifted him off his feet.

"You have other prisoners. Where?" He demanded. This time the Skrull stayed silent.

"I know where one of them is." Viper revealed. "We have to leave this cell." Thinking quickly, Cap stole the pistol holstered on the interrogator's hip before throwing his body into the energized cell door. He spasmed as flashes of plasma erupted, like a giant-sized bug zapper, and filled the cell with a purple glow. The sustained contact overloaded the door and the Skrull fell unconscious as the energy pylons shut down.

The commotion drew the attention of nearby guards. Cap quickly blasted one with his pistol as Viper advanced on the other, using her shiv to slit his throat and spill green blood everywhere. "Satisfied?" Steve wondered offhand.

"I've been here for five months, Captain. I'm not nearly satisfied." Viper retorted. She collected a discarded rifle and charged into the hall. The cell across from her stood no chance as she blasted the door over and over until the energy pylons flickered into nothingness. She entered fearlessly. "Markus?" She called out.

There on the floor, Mark Moran was picking himself up, one fist tightly clenched around something. "Viper!" He gasped as she strode over and helped him to his feet.

"What happened to you? I was-" She stopped short when he opened his clenched hand. There, in his palm, was a single piece of concrete. Barely the size of a pebble, but it still responded to him as he flexed his hand and allowed it to levitate in his palm. Viper's eyes grew wide. "How did you-?"

"I-I was concentrating. Trying to hone my powers to make use of them. I focused so hard I passed out… a-and when I came to, this was on the ground in front of me." He breathlessly explained. "It wasn't there before. I-I willed it into existence!" The potential of his pwoers made known, his excitement was contagious. Viper began grinning broadly.

"Your dreams are no longer just dreams, Markus. They can become a reality!" She promised. That's when Mark realized they were in close proximity.

"How did you get out-?" He looked up and a burly figure at the door caught his eye. His jaw dropped. "Oh you've got to be kidding…" He exclaimed in disbelief. Steve strode into the cell, holding a rifle of his own.

"Doctor Moran." He greeted.

"Captain America." Mark replied, getting over his shock. "So they got you too."

"Last time I saw you, we were fighting over one of the Norn Stones." Cap responded.

"That wasn't me. I don't even know what the hell a 'Norn Stone' is." Mark replied.

"I see." The truth behind the Skrull infiltration was becoming very real. But it was a reality to discover another time. "There's other prisoners here. We have to free them."

"'We'?" Mark questioned.

"Like it or not, banding together is our only hope of escaping this infernal place." Viper explained. "I'd rather break his neck than work with him, but he's our best chance of getting back to Earth." The clatter of footsteps outside drew their attention to a fresh contingent of guards. Cap and Viper raised their rifles… but Mark stepped ahead of them.

Stretching out his hand, the little piece of concrete zipped through the air faster than a speeding bullet. It plunged into the forehead of a Skrull and emerged from the other side, killing him instantly. Mark proceeded to kill the other two in a similarly quick fashion. Cap took his lethal exercise of power in grim stride. Viper, however, licked her lips in enjoyment.

Mark stepped beyond his cell, just in time to see two columns of guards approaching. Flicking out his hand, the concrete pebble cored through one group and then followed his command to core through the other line, killing all eight Skrulls in a matter of seconds. "My my," Viper purred as she sauntered up to his side, "very impressive, Markus." He turned and shot her a satisfied smirk before looking to Captain America.

"That looks like a junction box," he pointed out, his finger leveled at a boxy device stuck to the wall, "try blowing it up. It may cut the power to this block." Cap did as directed, shooting the box with a golden energy bolt that blew it to pieces with a burst of flame and a shower of sparks. The result did indeed drop the power to other cells, all eight of them to be exact. From five of them, familiar humans emerged.

Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, and Agent Clay Quartermain of SHIELD were familiar allies Cap was happy to see. Henry Gyrich he did not recognize, but he did not appear to be a trained agent or a potential superhero. Just a man in a suit.

Viper was more focused on the presence of Klaus Voorhees, AKA King Cobra of the Serpent Society, as well as Lyle Getz; a prominent member of the Advanced Idea Mechanics. His Skrull doppleganger had used Lyle's status to become Scientist Supreme and had been the one to spearhead the attack on Stark Industries using Technovore.

"What a motley crew." Mark remarked.

Clay quickly snatched a pistol off a fallen guard, raising it to defend himself. "Everybody freeze!" He snapped.

"What is this? Some kind of trick?" Cobra demanded.

"They can take our appearances!" Lyle sputtered. "They're shapeshifters. Any of you could be one of them!" His words were enough to sow distrust among them, every one of them eyeing the other warily.

"That is what they are." Mark agreed, stepping up to the group. "But I'm more in the mood to kill some aliens than be an alien." He added.

"Will someone tell me what's going on here?!" A battered and bruised Gyrich demanded.

"Everybody stand down!" Captain America ordered. "My name is Steve Rogers. I'm Captain America, and I'm a prisoner here just like you. Some of you I know, some of you I don't. But we've all got one thing in common: we're human. And right now our home is in trouble. So whatever problems we've got with each other, we have to put all that aside. We have to work together to escape this place and get back to Earth." That seemed to get their attention.

"Nice speech." Mockingbird mused.

"Ugh, makes you want to die for him." Lyle complained.

"That's leadership. Or brainwashing or something." Mark grumbled.

"No. That's just Captain America." Quartermain stated.

"You think I'm going to listen to you?!" Cobra hissed.

"You will, Cobra." Viper stated as she made herself known. "We can destroy them all later. But for now, you will do as Captain America says." Hissing in disgruntlement, Cobra backed down nonetheless.

"Do we have some kind of plan here?" Bobbi questioned.

"We were brought to this ship in shuttles. I regained consciousness aboard one." Viper replied, quickly assuming tactical command of the situation. "If they can get us here, they can get us to Earth." She stated. It was their only plan but their best one so far. But Cap was more concerned with a strange green glow coming from one of the open cells. "Where are you going? We have to keep moving." Viper snapped as he strode away. "Captain?!" He did not heed her and instead proceeded inside. Viper, Mark, Bobbi and Lyle followed after him, soon as stunned as he was by the sight within.

"Is that…?" Bobbi trailed off.

"The Invisible Woman." Steve said aloud. The feminine member of the Fantastic Four was suspended within a containment field, some sort of noxious gases within keeping her subdued, as well as a headset that dampened her powers.

"What are they doing to her?" Bobbi wondered.

"They've got her sedated. Smart." Lyle mused. "She's more powerful than all of us put together." Cap approached, raising his rifle and smashing the butt against the field. Glass shattered, the fumes within dissipating as the Susan Storm slowly sank into his waiting arms.

"The Skrulls know where we are by now, they'll be coming for us." Viper insisted. "She's deadweight. She will only slow us down." She growled. "Captain!" Steve hoisted Sue out of her prison and slid her dampening band off.

"We're getting out of here. All of us." He stated and he left no room for discussion.

All of a sudden, an alarm sounded throughout the hall. At first, Viper was concerned the Skrulls were bearing down on them. "Alert! The Hulk has escaped containment! I repeat, the Hulk has escaped containment! Reinforcements are to proceed to the medical wing immediately." An anxious Skrull voice called out over an intercom.

"Doctor Banner…?" Steve was shocked. Just how many of his allies and friends were in this place?

"The Hulk is here?" Viper stated in disbelief.

"Well… he could make for an easy exit." Mark proffered.

"Good idea. At the very least, the Hulk would make for an excellent diversion." Lyle concurred. Steve took charge once again.

"Come on. Let's go find this medical wing." He ordered.

---

On Earth…

Running a hand through his hair, Connor loosed an exasperated sigh. "So one of us is a Skrull still. Dammit." He grumbled.

"Yeah, sorry. It's how they operate. Has been across countless other worlds. It's how they built their empire." Dayan said. "The Kree have been fighting them long before I was born. There's some things that just don't change."

"Well, if the method works for them I can't see why they'd change it." Connor mused, seeing the (admittedly unfortunate) simplicity. He laid down on the blanket, staring up into a night sky devoid of light pollution. The stars were out and they were brilliant in their array. "So… I'm guessing you're gonna have to report a 'potential Skrull presence' back to your superiors?" He wondered.

"Actually, I've been… reneging on my reports back to my handlers." Dayna admitted as she laid down beside him.

"Why?"

"Because if the Supreme Intelligence found out that the Skrulls were already invading Earth, they'd come back and raze the planet to its core." Dayan explained with a sigh. She turned to look at him, seeing Connor shoot her a quizzical look of disbelief. "I'm being serious. I've seen them do it before. Planets where there's even the barest hint of a Skrull population have been reduced to ashes."

"The Kree hate the Skrull that much?"

"It's a feud that's been going on for… well, probably first contact. I dunno. Never paid much attention to history while I was in the academy." Dayna said with a shrug. Now she was looking at the stars too. "I still can't get over how pretty your night skies can be. Good night like this… it's like you can see for miles." She smiled, folding her arms behind her head.

"I bet we can spot some constellations from here." Connor agreed. He needed something simple to change his mind.

"Ooooh, what about the Gor'det Shiv'rguun?" Dayan wondered excitedly. Connor performed a double-take.

"The… what?"

"The, uh… well, you have two of them. One's bigger than the other." Dayan tried to describe.

"You mean the 'Big Dipper'?"

"Yeah! Dipper! That's it!" She said excitedly, looking to the stars in hopes of spotting that constellation. Instead she found another one. "Oh oh oh! I think I can see Car-Ell Dus'tat Ek-ma, too!" She pointed.

"What?"

"Oh, uh… in your English I think it translates to 'champion of the desert wastes'."

"Uh… Scorpio? Here we call that a 'scorpion'." Connor stated.

"Scorpion." Dayna repeated, learning the new word. "Ah, okay." Connor chuckled.

"Well, if I didn't believe you were a Kree before, I sure do now." He remarked. "Still getting over that. You look so… human."

"The Blue Kree think so too…" Dayna sighed. "Blue Kree are, well… they treat Pink Kree like animals. Like we're not good enough just because we have slightly different genetics. They call us 'aberrations' and 'freaks'. We're not 'Kree enough' for them." She described. "I remember when the reports about Earth came in. The number of times someone told me 'Hey, we finally found your home planet'… I lost count."

"I'm… sorry. I never meant to bring up old wounds." Connor apologized.

"Eh, it's okay. I have thick skin." Dayna replied. She then looked to him with a subtle smirk. "No. Really. Pink Kree have tougher skin than Blue Kree." She added.

"You got over that surprisingly quickly. I know some folks who can't ever embrace 'forgive and forget'. You seem to have adapted quite well." Connor noted.

"I blame Earth. It's so good that I just can't help but feel happy. I wish all the Pink Kree could come here." Dayna mused.

"So they can wait tables at a little cafe?" The technopath chuckled and the Kree joined him.

"To you, it may be mundane. To be a waitress who lives in a little apartment all by myself. But for me… it's paradise." Dayna explained. "I feel like I belong here. I feel like I fit in, I feel welcome and… a-and I feel like I'm home. There's no scrutinizing glares, no snide remarks about the color of my skin, no put-downs, no one watching my every move..." Dayna trailed off. "I'm… free, Connor. Free." Her words were thick with emotion, she was on the verge of getting choked up. She stopped and swallowed, composing herself. "Human society may not be perfect… but it's good enough for me. Earth is so beautiful and I blend in so naturally… I just want to forget about the Kree and Hala." She spoke so genuinely that Connor was moved.

They lay in silence for a moment, watching the stars above.

"Why me?" He asked, breaking the silence. "Of all the people you could've brought this to, you picked me. Why?" Dayna did not respond right away, either because she was searching for an answer or because she was trying to find the right words.

"Because you know what it's like to have slightly different genetics than everyone else." She finally replied.

---

Back in the Skrull prison…

Viper's words rang true and the Skrulls in charge were quickly becoming aware of the unfolding situation even if they did not have a clear understandnig of it yet. "Security is down in the beta prison cellblock." The warden announced as he read through a stream of incoming data reports.

"Enough of this." The base commander growled. "Kl'rt. No matter what happens, they cannot leave the ship." His elite soldier's eyes narrowed, beginning to glow as a fiery portion of the power within him swelled…

---

The ragtag band of escaping prisoners were making their way through the Skrull vessel, scavenging what weaponry they could from the various guards they subdued along the way. With his arms full with the unconscious Invisible Woman, Captain America allowed Viper and Cobalt to lead the way, his powers and her skillful aim making mincemeat of the Skrulls. He objected to their brutality but found it hard to deny their effective efficiency. Mockingbird and Quartermain had salvaged weapons of their own, something that came in handy when the escapees encountered more then just 2 or 3 guards.

Rounding a corner, an entire company of Skrulls was seemingly waiting for them and those capable of attacking were quick to engage. But there were plenty more Skrulls than previous encounters, and they had plenty more weapons at their disposal. Bobbi, Viper, and Clay gunned down who they could and Mark killed plenty with his concrete pebble. One of them was shouldering a very heavy piece of weaponry, which reminded Mark of an RPG. Mark quickly killed him, using his pebble to core through his head, but not before the Skrull got off a shot. The explosive streaked towards their group and Mark moved without thinking. He said nothing, just tackled Viper out of the way before the missile detonated against the ceiling above.

Trembling metal and a deafening roar jarred their senses. When they had gathered themselves, it was Viper who spoke first, looking up at Mark protecting her with his body. "You saved me…" She breathed. Their eyes met.

"I did." Mark replied, moving to let her up. "All that talk about being 'unchallenged masters of whatever our hearts desire'. Was it just talk? Or did you mean it?" He questioned. Viper looked to him. She realized she finally had her answer. Mark was in. She smiled and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"When we get back to Earth, Markus, I'll show you just how serious I was." She promised. With that, she stood and started walking… and the sway in her hips drew his attention and kept it. Quirking a brow, Mark was amused. Viper-… Ophelia was a killer, a leader and a fighter. But she could strut her stuff better than supermodels. Quite the woman to be allied with.

The rest of the Skrulls were dealt with and the escapees continued their quest for the medical wing. It seemed that where there were Skrulls, they seemed to be heading in a similar direction, which helped affirm they were moving the right way. Soon, they came across a wider section of hallway that had multiple unconscious Skrull strewn about. "Definitely looks like the work of the Hulk." Bobbi noted.

"We should make sure they're dead." Viper muttered, priming her rifle.

"We've got bigger problems to focus on." Steve interrupted. He picked his way through the bodies and towards a room where the doors had been broken to pieces and lay strewn about. The interior had pretty much been destroyed. Multiple Skrulls had been beaten to a pulp, the walls were dented and shorn, an operating table had been smashed to pieces and used to crush several more of the green-skinned aliens. But among the carnage, a lone human woman with long black hair was hastily throwing on a jumpsuit lifted from one of the Skrulls.

Being unisex in design, the flexible nature of the suit allowed it to easily mould to her form as flawless porcelain skin disappeared behind purple and black. She turned around and the moment her eyes met Cap's, they realized they knew each other.

"Captain America?" She gasped.

"Miss Walters?" Steve echoed her surprise.

"Who is this woman?" Viper demanded.

"Jennifer Walters, she's with SHIELD's legal team." Cap explained. Mark snorted.

"Lawyers, government stooges, SHIELD thugs… the Skrulls really wanted to catch 'em all." Cap ignored him and drew closer to Jennifer.

"The last I heard, you were recovering in hospital after Ultron attacked the Helicarrier."

"That's about when they got me." Jen answered to his astonishment. "I-I remember lapsing in and out of consciousness. S-Something about my cousin Bruce giving me a blood transfusion that saved my life." She trailed off, looking around the destroyed lab. The shredded remains of her hospital gown lay off in a corner, long since discarded and sufficiently unwearable. "And… A-And then I was… here. They kept me alone, isolated. Then one day they said I was exhibiting 'higher than normal gamma radiation levels than the other humans'. Th-They were gonna… cut me open…" She paused, a trembling lip belying her meek frailty.

"What happened, Miss Walters? We heard over their comms that the Hulk had gotten loose." Cap implored.

"I-I don't know. Just pain a-and anger and… I don't remember." Jennifer answered honestly Viper frowned.

"Captain, there is something suspicious about this. I do not trust this woman." She stated curtly.

"I'm human, you have to believe me! I'm not one of them!" Jennifer exclaimed with wide eyes. "Please… I-I just want to go home…" She begged them.

"That's exactly where we're going, Miss Walters. We're all getting off this tub. All of us. You're more than welcome to come along." Cap invited.

"Yes, please." Jennifer affirmed with a sigh of relief.

"You're gonna wear that?" Mark questioned, gesturing to her new attire. The black and purple bodysuit fit Jen rather well considering she'd pulled it off a man.

"Considering the alternative is to go naked, I think it'll work for the time being." She crisply replied.

With Jennifer in tow, the group of escapees continued their trek towards freedom and soon found themselves on a level above the prison's hangar bay, where a pair of sizeable shuttles sat dormant. They would make for excellent escape vehicles. Their chance at freedom was nearly within their grasp and everyone was looking forward to it. "Captain, if we need to sacrifice the others to get me on that shuttle, I give you full authorization to do so." Gyrich selfishly urged. The others whirled on him, shooting him glares and killing stares.

"And who the hell are you?!" Lyle Getz demanded.

"Henry Gyrich, director of SWORD." He replied with an air of arrogance. The others shot him quizzical looks, having no idea who he was.

"Great. Another government stooge with an overinflated opinion of himself." Mark scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"What's SWORD?" Cobra wondered, unfamiliar with the organization. Cap began to wonder if the Cobra the Avengers fought in the subway tunnel, the day Ultron went mad, was actually a Skrull.

"We're the agency responsible for dealing with alien threats." Gyrich explained.

"Well… I hope they fire you." Getz spat and Cobra snickered.

"Wonderful job dealing with these Skrulls, 'Director'." He sneered. Jennifer, Bobbi and Quartermain moved on after a couple disapproving looks, but Mark decided to set the record straight.

"Let's get one thing straight, Gyrich," he growled, flicking his concrete pebble into position until Henry could feel the piece pressing tightly against his forehead. He recoiled as Mark loomed over him, "I'm the man who could kill you with a thought. Don't push me." He threatened. Calling his concrete back between his fingertips, he gave Gyrich a shove to follow the others. But Mark himself lingered behind with Viper and Cap, the former giving him an affirming smile.

"No guards." Steve said aloud as he peered down into the hangar.

"It's a trap." Viper stated.

"Agreed. We've got no choice, though." The supersoldier concurred. He paused for a moment. Part of Viper's hair had moved, revealing scar tissue across her otherwise-concealed right cheek. It appeared mottled, like burn damage. "What happened to you?" Realizing the object of his staring, Viper hurriedly adjusted her hair to cover, shooting him an intense glare.

"What happened is that I was given a reason to hate people like you." She angrily retorted before stomping off. Cap watched her go, as did Mark.

"You know, there's some things you just don't ask a woman about." The betokinetic snidely told the Captain. "Thought you knew that, coming from the Forties." He added before following Viper.

The group made their way down towards the hangar, passing through a pair of doors with freedom so tangibly close… until they realized that a lone Skrull was waiting for them between the shuttles. Viper wasted no time opening fire…

Only to watch in horror as her rounds pinged off a forcefield.

Kl'rt channeled his power, flames enshrounding his fists as they expanded in size, skin covered in a very rock-like substance. The Super-Skrull, possessing the complete powers of all 4 members of the Fantastic Four, lunged towards them as his body stretched across the entire width of the hangar. "Scatter!" Cap called out. The group split and dove for the ground as the Super-skrull slammed into the floor, sending out shockwaves of power.

Mark stepped up and sent his concrete pebble hurtling towards Kl'rt only to watch it bounce harmlessly off his rocky skin. "He's invulnerable!" He cried out.

"Of course he is! He has the powers of The Thing!" Viper answered, shooting at his legs. "Our only hope is to try and find a gap in his powers!"

"A spatial-anomaly. Got it." Mark growled, recalled his pebble and sending it flying out once more, this time it bounced off another forcefield.

Seeing the unfolding situation, Cap planned his next move. "Take her!" He ordered Gyrich, handing the still-unconscious Invisible Woman over. "Quartermain, get them to the ship! If you AIM scientists are as smart as you say, figure out how to fly that thing." He tasked Clay and Lyle respectively.

"I-It's an alien spacecraft, I-I'll need time." Lyle stammered, glancing at the shuttle.

"Then we'll give it to you." Cap promised, sending the four on their way. He then turned to Jennifer, the lawyer clutching her head and cowering on the floor. "Miss Walters! Jennifer! Go with them!" He barked.

"No…" Jen gasped. She looked up, watching as the Super-Skrull singlehandedly took down Mark, Viper and Bobbi with powerful punches. Cobra made use of his techno-organic body to wrap a serpentine tail around Kl'rt and squeezed. It seemed to work, until the Super-Skrull triggered his flames, surrounding his body in pure flame and enough to burn the Serpent Society leader off him. Suddenly, Jennifer's gaze hardened.

"He's mine."

She broke into a sprint, ignoring Steve's cries as she bolted towards the Super-Skrull. K'lrrt turned and scoffed as the small lawyer ran towards him. But his grin began to fade as the green glow in Jennifer's eyes began spreading throughout her whole body. Veins bulged, muscles swelled, the alien tech in her stolen jumpsuit allowed her clothing to expand with her, black and purple wrapping snugly around her growing body until she was taller than K'lrrt…

The meek 5-foot-nothing Jennifer Walters, attorney at law, had suddenly become a muscle-bound heavyweight bruiser who barrelled into him with a roar… and the Super-Skrull was definitely no longer smiling when the green-skinned fist of a savage She-Hulk crashed into his face.

Kl'rt was thrown across the room and the She-Hulk pursued him, the spectacle enough to give the others pause. "There is… a second Hulk?" Viper muttered between gasps.

"A female one to boot…" Mark realized.

"Well, bet the Skrulls didn't see that coming." Bobbi remarked.

"Let her beat this thing. We should run while we can." Cobra hissed.

All of a sudden a door behind them began to open, revealing the base commander as well as a platoon of Skrull warriors, all of them armed to the teeth and eager to spill blood.

"You know what, snakeskin? I think running might be a good plan!" Bobbi cried out as they bolted away from the approaching reinforcements. Viper looked to Mark.

"You have proven these filth are no match for you, Markus. Prove it again!" The betokinetic was eager to comply. He summoned his pebble and took full control of it, shooting it forward and clean through the base commander's chest, green blood exploding everywhere.

"Alright you freaks… time to teach you why you should leave Earth alone!" He roared, unleashing his powers to their fullest. The single piece of concrete started ripping through the Skrulls, killing them in droves as Markus cut them down.

Meanwhile, Quartermain and his charges were aboard a Skrull shuttle and Lyle Getz was feverishly attempting to make it work. "You figure this thing out?" Clay asked.

"Please. I once designed a weapon that could wipe out every human life on Earth simultaneously. There's no science I can't master." The AIM agent sniffed dismissively as he rapidly keyed in multiple command presses on the central console. As if to affirm his words, the shuttle rumbled to life as power flooded the cabin. Taking off shakily, it hovered in the air.

"See if you can access the weapons." Clay tasked.

"Way ahead of you, SHIELD agent." Lyle retorted, bringin up a pair of forward cannons on the bow. He strafed the battlefield, opening fire indiscriminately on everyone present, humans and Skrull alike.

"What are you doing?! You're firing on our people!" Clay snapped.

"If Captain America and Viper have to be sacrificed for us to live, so be it." Lyle calmly and coldly retorted. Clay refused to let this go on, swinging his feet about and landing a double-dropkick right to Lyle's temple. He knocked him out cold and the shuttle reacted as no one was at the controls.

On the ground, Steve took notice of the out of control vehicle and realized their now or never moment had come. "Go! Get to the ship! All of you!" He ordered, shouting over the din of rifle fire. Cobra was quick to comply, as were Viper and Mark.

"Come on, let's-" Bobbi echoed, only to look around and realize she was alone agains thr remaining Skrulls. "Supervillains." She grumbled.

Jennifer, in her newfound Hulked-out form, continued to wail on the Super-Skrull with her super-strength. Tearing up the floor of the hangar, she pummeled Kl'rt with metal-knuckles, beating the tar out of the Skrull until he finally managed to conjure up a forcefield to hold her in place.

"Even your powers we can make more powerful." He sneered, only to be interrupted by a sharp elbow from Captain America, the crunch of bone a lovely noise as Cap hammered Kl'rt with a jaw-shattering uppercut and a brain-rattling right hook.

"Back off, you filthy Skrull!" He growled.

Aboard the shuttle, Quartermain had Gyrich with him at the controls, trying to keep the shuttle steady long enough to ensure a clean getaway with all parties. "Hang on tight, Mister Gyrich. Things are gonna get a little bumpy."

"Aren't you trained to pilot these things?" Gyrich demanded.

"I'm trained to fight. Not fly." Clay retorted as Cobra and Bobbi boarded.

"Go! What are you waiting for?!" The serpentine supervillain screeched. He was promptly silenced seconds later when Mockingbird landed a double-axehandle to the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

"We're waiting for Cap and the others, jerk!" She remarked with a huff.

Sure enough, Cap, Mark and Viper were making a beeline for the shuttle. Jennifer paused, seeing the Skrull warriors chasing them. They could pose a problem. "Now how does Bruce do this…" She wondered aloud, looking at her hands. Remembering a move she'd seen Hulk practice many a times, she drew back both hands and then slammed them together with all the force she could muster to perform her own thunderclap. The ensuing concussive wave bowled over the Skrulls, much to her disbelief. "Oh! Oh my… that worked!" She exclaimed. With them dealt with, she turned on heel and bolted for the shuttle, crossing the distance with one massive leap and clearing her three fellow escapees before ungracefully tumbling into the shuttle. Cap was next in, followed by Mark.

"Viper!" He called out, turning to offer his hand and Cap joined him.

"Take our hands!" Viper didn't need to be told twice and lunged… only for the elastic limbs of Kl'rt to ensnare her body and drag her back to the floor. "No!"

"Viper! Hang on!" Mark cried as he dove off the boarding ramp, with Cap not far behind.

"Is he insane?! What's he doing?! We should just leave them!" Gyrich exclaimed in disbelief.

"He's being Captain America, dummy." Mockingbird retorted sharply. "Clay! Hold 'er steady for as long as you can, they'll need it!"

Mark commando-rolled across the floor and sent his concrete pebble ripping through the air, drawing Kl'rt's attention to himself with a forcefield. The distraction worked long enough for Cap to dive in and belt him across the face. He looked to Viper. "You two get to the ship and tell them to launch!" He ordered. "I'll hold him as long as I can!"

"You're nuts!" Mark exclaimed. "Not even Hulk-Walters could stop him!"

"I don't care! Go!" Steve retorted. He bolted head, taking the Super-Skrull's stony fists head on as Mark helped Viper to her feet.

"We're just gonna leave him behind?" He asked aloud. Viper took a second to think.

"We do as he says… but I have an idea." She added. They to board the shuttle as Cap slugged it out with Kl'rt. The supersoldier fought valiantly, but the combined might of four premiere Earth superheroes was too much for him, overwhelmed by the strength of Ben Grimm and the force blasts of Susan Storm.

"The commander was wrong… you are dangerous. Too dangerous to leave alive!" Kl'rt threatened, looming above the downed Captain and summoning the flames of Johnny Storm. He prepared to do him in, unleashing scorching flames as hot as the sun… but Captain America was saved. The fire never touched him, the heat never reached him. He looked up, shocked to see Viper helping Invisible Woman to the edge of the shuttle's boarding ramp, who was using her powers to protect him. Mark Moran joined them, miming a gun with his thumb and pointed finger.

"Bang." He whispered, and his pebble flew. It flew so fast Kl'rt never saw it coming until his right eye exploded in a shower of green blood. He recoiled with a screech, clutching his face as green blood seeped in rivers down his face. With him distracted, Cap bolted for the shuttle and jumped to the waiting hands of Mark and Ophelia. They hauled him aboard and barked for Clay to get them out of here.

"Do it! Hit the thrusters or something!" Gyrich cried. Clay had no idea what he was doing and just pounded the console with his fists. He triggered something and at once the shuttle was propelled forward into space time, disappearing from the Skrull ship and reappearing within an asteroid field far from it.

"Uh… okay then…" Clay murmured, looking around and a little too shocked to react. Cap patted him on the back.

"Nice flying." He teased, earning a round of relieved chuckles from all involved.

"This looks like the asteroid field that's between Mars and Jupiter." Bobbi realized. "We're a lot closer to home than Saturn!" Relief and excitement began to flourish. Well, mostly.

"Hi, Cap." Invisible Woman greeted tiredly.

"Susan." Steve replied with a nod.

"I'm gonna sleep now." She yawned, her body still out of it from her specialized imprisonment. Curling up on one of the benches within, she left the others to their plans.

"You've got the right idea, Miss Storm." Jennifer agreed, having shrunk back to her human form. "Ugh… how does Bruce manage this?" She wondered, sprawling out on another bench and hoping to sleep this off. Meanwhile, Steve looked to Viper and Mark.

"You two saved my life." He commented.

"I don't like being in my enemies' debt." Viper replied as Mark stood silently by, like a loyal bodyguard protecting his mistress. "Understand this, once the Skrull threat is over, we will be enemies again." Viper promised. Steve nodded solemnly.

"Understood." He simply responded. He turned back to Quartermain. "Think you can get us home again, agent?" He asked.

"Well, let me see… hitting it worked last time, let's try-" Clay tried tapping buttons methodically, partly wishing he'd hadn't subdued Lyle. Suddenly, the bow cannons opened fire and incinerated an asteroid, much to their collective surprise, "uh, maybe I'll just hit it again." He decided.

---

Back on Earth…

Teleporting back into New York, Dayna made sure she and Connor reappeared just behind the theatre, where their arrival would not be too disruptive and her cover could be maintained. "That's gonna take some getting used to." The technopath remarked.

"Just give it another hundred-or-so goes. That's how I got used to it." The Kree replied with a giggle. Connor chuckled.

"Well, thank you for the picnic, the scenery… and the information." He said, being polite despite the partial information-overload he was feeling. "It may not have been my number one anticipated movie of the year, but it was a good time. Fun, even. I enjoyed myself."

"Again, sorry for all the secrecy and just dropping this in your lap." Dayna replied, apologizing once more. Then she reached into her back pocket. "Here, let me make it up to you…" A couple sheets of thick paper were pressed into his hand and Connor flipped them over. His eyes widened. They were movie tickets.

"Two tickets… to Transformers: Dark of the Moon… for this time next week?" He said in disbelief, looking to her.

"Maybe we can actually enjoy the rest of it this time." Dayna suggested with a slight shrug. "Unless T'Challa happens to rejoin the team in that time." Connor huffed a laugh. For all her alien spygames, she was at least genuine.

"It's a date. Now I just have to stay off the internet for a week. Don't want any spoilers and all." He stated. Dayna accepted that.

"Alright. A date it is." She affirmed. "Good night, Connor." She then softly added.

"Good night… Day-Narr." He replied, using her Kree name. Sharing a mutual smile, the two went their separate ways.

---

Meanwhile…

"The humans, they have escaped, My Queen. They're heading for Earth now, but we aren't able to pursue. The damage to our ship is too extensive. I have failed you, My Queen." The base commander profusely apologized. He sat in a chair, surrounded by monitors, medical equipment strapped to his chest in order to heal the damage dealt by Mark Moran. All around him, the image of his revered Queen, Veranke of the Skrulls, stood imposingly.

"No. You may not have learned how to break these humans, but what Captain America did there… he took mortal enemies and he led them. He insipred them. They listened to him. They believed in him." She decided, having heard his report. "This is the key to subjugating the humans. Captain America will convinced them to embrace us, to embrace change. And they will listen. They will believe. After all… he's Captain America." She added with a growing smile. Stepping aside, the perfect image of Captain America himself took her place. The base commander nearly jumped from his seat, almost forgetting about the presence of chief agent Pitt'o Nili on Earth.

"Contact the fleet, Commander." Pitt'o ordered, shifting back to his Skrull appearance despite wearing the star-spangled uniform. "Begin the Wakanda infiltration and send the rest of the forces to New York and Washington D.C…"