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The scene opened up with Talos' voice saying it was time to open Vers up.
The setting then brightened as it showed Vers in what appeared to a warehouse with a plane as the doors opened and she walked through to an open yard filled with jets. She carried a bag with several Warth logos (one of which being the US flag) and wore a pilot uniform with badges resembling the air force along with sunglasses.
"What the hell!" Rhodey shouted.
He wasn't the only one shocked. Sam, Natasha, Clint, Fury, and Tony knew exactly what they were looking at. The others were confused by her outfit because it had several things belonging to Earth.
"My friends, what is wrong?" Thor asked concerned.
"Everything she is wearing, and all those jet planes, they're US Air Force Division," Rhodey said still shocked. "I served with them for years. I'd know them anywhere."
"Same here," Sam piped up.
"Wouldn't that mean she's from Earth then?" Peter asked uncertainly.
"I doubt it young one," Thor answered. "The Kree have a very low opinion of mortals. They have a low opinion of a lot of races but in your case, they would see you as unintelligent primitives who are eons behind them."
Tony looked offended. Well, excuse them for making slow progress in technological advancement. Excuse them for being behind everyone else. They weren't perfect but they were trying.
"Even if that is the case, it does not explain what we are seeing," T'Challa pointed out.
Everyone's eyes returned to the screen as many new questions about Vers arose.
Talos questioned where they were but another Kree told them to standby. The screen shifted to show a full view of the yard with jets.
"Okay, now that's definitely the Air Force," Sam declared.
"And the vehicles match up with descriptions for several models," Vision continued. "Henceforth, what we are seeing is Earth."
Thor frowned. He meant what he said about the Kree and mortals. There was no way they would take any interest in them. However, even he could not deny the scenery he was seeing. Hala didn't have anything like that.
A dark-skinned woman dressed in the same uniform as Vers came up from behind.
'Maria,' Fury recognized. 'So, this is her and Carol before SHIELD.'
The woman asked Vers where her head was, to which she answered in the clouds. Vers reiterated the same question and the woman answered on her shoulders, about to show these boys how they did it. She asked if Vers was ready. Vers smiled enthusiastically and answered with the same feeling, much to the woman's liking.
Several of the Avengers smiled at the scene as it reminded them of their own friendships.
Fury was not surprised since he had seen up close how much they meant to each other.
Vers got into her jet and prepared for take-off. She gave a small hand gesture to her friend, who's name was visible below the window.
Maria "Photon" Rambeau.
However, Vers smile faltered when she saw Maria's skin blue only for it to revert to normal.
"Okay, what just happened?" Scott asked confused. "This clearly Earth, so why did she turn blue all of a sudden."
"She has amnesia. Maybe that has something to do with it," Wanda suggested, though part of her was unsure.
Natasha eyed the scene with suspicion. She had known something was off when Vers visited the SI but now she was certain. Vers may have come from earth, but if that was the case then how did she end up with the Kree.
One thing was for certain, Natasha did not trust the woman's memories, and it seemed neither did Vers.
Talos realized something was wrong and told his colleagues to go back even further.
The scene then changed to a child Vers as she raced down a track on a Go-Kart at a local Fair.
"Go Karting!" Scott shouted excitedly. "God, I haven't done it since I was a kid!"
"Same here," Fury answered, earning looks from everyone. "What? I had a life before SHIELD!"
Clint smirked with an idea forming in his head. The kids would love Go Karting. He would have to take them once his house arrest ended.
Scott apparently had the same idea. Once he completed his house arrest, he was taking Cassie to the first place it was available.
A boy came up and told her to slow down because she was going too fast. When other drivers passed her, Vers ignored his warnings and sped up. Unfortunately, she crashed while having a vision of blue energy. The crash involved her Kart flying off the track and her coming out of it with several cuts and bruises.
Peter winced at the blood. As someone who had been bullied a lot, he knew exactly how much she was hurting right there.
Steve was of a similar mindset, having been beat up a lot when he was a child (and later an adult).
For Sam and Rhodey, they were thinking of moments when they crashed in the line of duty.
Talos was confused by what he was seeing, even questioning if they were in the right memory.
A man came up and angrily berated her for her actions. To add insult to injury, he told her she didn't belong out here. In retaliation, Vers tearfully pointed he let the other boy drive as if to highlight the unfairness of the situation.
"Dick," Clint murmured.
Fury raised an eyebrow. So that was Carol's father. When Monica said they didn't get along she wasn't understating it.
Another Skrull wanted to try something and the scene changed once more. Vers holding onto a rope as part of a training course while several cadets observed her from below. They were laughing at her while at the same time mocking her. They said was not strong enough and would only end up killing herself.
"Don't listen to them," Steve said.
He really hated bullies. And what he was seeing now was remarkably similar to his time in the army before the serum.
Vers tried to swing to the rope only to lose her grip and fall down on her side, much to the amusement of the others. When she crashed, Vers had a vision of being surrounded by blue and orange flames. Back in reality, the instructor coldly told her they would never let her fly.
"Seriously, she made one mistake," Wanda growled. "That's hardly a reason to dismiss her."
"It depends on how many times she failed though," T'Challa pointed out.
Talos asked if he was the only one confused while Vers' fist glowed.
"We're all confused," Sam started to which everyone (bar Fury) agreed.
Vers tried to sit up as her fist glowed while wearing her Kree training uniform. Over her stood another soldier saying she was a decent pilot (scene quickly changed to a bar) but she was too emotional. He then smugly asked if she knew why they called it a cockpit.
"Dude!" Sam shouted. "That is not why it's called that!"
"Okay, that was just sexist," Scott pointed out.
No one argued with them, nor did they want to.
A pool ball hit the table bringing about a brief flash of blue, however, it immediately went away. It then changed to Vers and Maria heading to Pancho's Bar where they did Karaoke.
"Karaoke!" Tony cried. "Oh, we have all gotta try that sometime."
There was a collective exchange of looks from the Avengers. It could be a good team-building exercise, it also looked really fun.
Fury reminisced about the last time he had done Karaoke and wondered whether or not it would be shown in this movie.
The scene changed again as a child Vers looked up at the sky with an older boy at her side. He told her a story about a girl named Alouette who flew through space. The scene changed again to an adult Vers and a small child both lying down looking at the stars when a shooting star flies by. The girl says its Alouette as she and Vers exchanged smiles. Maria told them to come inside for dinner and Vers lifted the girl off saying it was time for take-off Lieutenant Trouble and the girl held her arms out as if she were an aeroplane.
Fury couldn't help but smile at the scene. Monica was an adorable child back then, and an enthusiastic one to boot. He still remembered how excited she was when he helped her take out all of Carols old stuff. Because of his job, he didn't usually interact with children but he got on well with her.
Other members of the room were touched by the scene.
To Scott, it reminded him of Cassie when she was little.
For T'Challa he remembered when his own father would do something similar with him and Shuri as children.
Wanda remembered how her own parents would play with her and Pietro when they were little, a memory she had not thought about in so long.
It reminded Clint and Natasha of all the times they had been with his children, bringing a warm smile to their faces.
Peter felt a little sad as it reminded him of Uncle Ben before he died.
Talos thought it was a charming memory. Then the Skrull scientist found what they were looking for. The scene changed back to the Air Force base where a cat went by Vers legs. The cat's owner stated Goose liked her and that she didn't normally take to people.
"Wow, she looks a lot like you Goose," Peter whispered to the cat. "She even has your name."
Fury didn't bother to correct him. He would find out soon enough.
"Wait a minute," Natasha exclaimed. "That woman, she's the form the Supreme Intelligence takes on when Vers visits her." She narrowed her eyes. "They're both from Earth."
Thor at this point couldn't deny it. The Kree woman Vers was in fact from Earth, or at least she had lived there. Why though? If she was mortal why would the Kree take an interest in her? Would it be because of the power she wielded? Although it had been a long time since he last encountered them, he knew well enough the Kree didn't have powers like that. They would use weapons to grant them powers but the abilities themselves weren't physically part of them.
He could only watch and hope the truth would unveil itself.
Vers asked if she was suffering from early morning, but the woman said it was a late night. She can never sleep when there's work and asked if it sounded familiar referencing Vers' active daily routine.
"Oh, it sounds familiar alright," Tony lamented while thinking of all the times he stayed up late working on new suits.
Vers retorted by saying flying the woman's planes never felt like work as the two glanced at the planes taking off and landing. The woman noted it was a wonderful view but Vers admitted she preferred the view from up there.
"Same here," Rhodey and Sam unintentionally but simultaneously agreed.
Flying up in the sky always gave them a chance to see the world from a much bigger point of view. More than that they always felt so free up in the air.
The woman told Vers she would get there soon enough. Talos realized that was the woman they were looking for and urged his colleague to bring her back. The scene replayed with the woman coming from the other side this time. Talos asked about what was on her shirt and the scene repeated from the other side again. Vers started to become suspicious as she repeated the dialogue she had been using.
"She has become aware," Vision noted.
"Kind of hard not when it keeps repeating like that," Clint added.
Talos had Vers focus on the name tag which said "Dr Wendy Lawson" with an insignia called Pegasus.
"Pegasus?" Steve repeated.
"Wasn't that the name of the project involving the Tesseract?" Tony remembered.
"It was," Fury agreed.
Natasha stared at the screen in contemplation. How did the Tesseract connect to this? Or was it even connected at all?
Vers began hearing Talos' voice and asked if Lawson could as well. Talos asked if they found the location while Vers continued to have flashes of blue. With location found Talos ordered his subordinate to track Lawson until they found the energy signature. The scene changed back to the opening sequence of Vers' dream with Lawson holding a gun which Talos remarked was interesting. Then Skrull came in and Talos told them to go right back before this.
The scene changed to an air battle in space with Vers flying and Lawson sitting with her. They were under attack from an unknown enemy who was firing at them.
"Wait a second, are they in space?" Rhodey asked confused.
"Why is that an issue?" Thor responded confused.
"Most aviation vehicles on Earth do not have the capacity for space travel much less fly at that speed," Vision explained. "Even Mr Stark has not developed that technology yet and this is set before he became Iron man."
This left the audience confused because the setting was definitely Earth but the tech was way beyond what they would have had back then.
Which left one major question? Who was Lawson?
Talos tried to get Vers to focus on the coordinates, however, her mind was under too much strain to focus causing her to flashback and forward to the blue and orange flames. Eventually, the strain became too much and Vers ejected from the plane only to be sent back by Talos.
She then opened her eyes and saw that she was chained up to a machine and surrounded by several Skrulls. To add to it all, the machine was causing electricity to flow off her head allowing the Skrulls access to her memories.
"Okay, what the hell was that?" Scott asked.
"Her memories or ones buried deep within her subconscious," T'Challa suggested.
"I get that, but I'm having trouble piecing together the rest," Scott said.
"Considering the pressure she was undergoing I'd say she's having the same problem," Sam stated. "Amnesiacs tend to struggle with resurfacing memories, especially if they're traumatic."
The Skrulls scientist was trying to make sense of Vers memories but Talos wanted to know if there was anything they could act on. He was impatient, though it was understandable. The scientist said Lawson was on Planet C-53 and they were on their way. Talos ordered them to look deeper as Lawson was the key to the lightspeed engine and everything they were after.
Unbeknownst to him or the other Skrulls, Vers was fully conscious and listening to everything.
"Lightspeed engine?" Thor said slowly.
He had vaguely heard of it but could not fathom as to why the Skrulls would need it. To have their forces arrive quickly and unannounced, or to escape in the same fashion?
Or perhaps it was the key to getting what they needed.
Vers pretended to be asleep as she was monitored while secretly heating up the restraint with her powers.
"She's gonna escape," Peter called it.
A scientist tapped Vers on the forehead causing the images to momentarily fluctuate, much to Talos's interest. He told them to do it again. However, at that point, the scientist noticed Vers restraints brightening and stood worried.
Vers freed her right arm and punched the Skrull before freeing her other body parts. To the average person, she looked pissed.
"And she escaped," Peter said.
Goose meowed in agreement while Peter pets her head.
A Skrull was about to shoot her only to be stopped by Talos who needed her alive. Vers then proceed to take down several Skrulls that came at her with remarkable ease.
She then pinned Talos to the control unit and held a glowing restraint to his face. Vers furiously demanded to know what they did to her to which Talos held up his hands cautiously and explained they were just after some information.
Vers demanded to know what they put in her head but told Talos pointed out it was already there. Vers struggled to deny those being her memories but Talos retorted by saying the Kree did a number on her.
Almost everyone was instantly suspicious.
They didn't completely trust Talos but they didn't completely believe he was lying either. Lawson was clearly in Vers' mind as the person she admired most, or how else would the SI take on her form? However, what he said just now implied some form of brainwashing.
From Thor's words they couldn't trust the Skrulls, but they couldn't trust the Kree either.
"They're hiding something from her," Natasha murmured softly.
Nobody argued.
Vers declared no more mind games leading to Talos explaining they were looking for Lawson and her lightspeed engine, but Vers denied knowing Lawson. Amused by her response, Talos asked her why she was in her head?
Vers was about to respond but her expression quickly turned to anguish. She did not believe him, but she couldn't deny that the Skrull was right about the possibility of her knowing Lawson. She couldn't remember though. She wanted to but she couldn't.
Steve was beginning to see similarities between her and Bucky. Both were people who struggled to remember their past. Bucky remembered now but Vers didn't.
"You okay?" Sam asked concerned.
"Yeah, just thinking," Steve replied sadly.
Hearing that question, Vers power lowered slightly. She then heard more Skrulls from behind her and then two entering the room. She threw Talos at his companions and took out the one who dodged before throwing the remaining Skrull against the wall leaving a small crater.
"She's strong," Wanda murmured surprised.
"Maybe as strong as Cap," Tony added though he had his doubts.
They weren't entirely sure how strong Vers truly was since they had only seen her fight a little so they couldn't make an accurate guess.
Vers ran barefooted throughout the ship avoiding any Skrull she came across while trying to get rid of her restraints. When she couldn't run anymore due to Skrulls on both sides she stopped. She casually asked if they knew how the cuffs came off before switching to no and then fine.
Vers attacked using her cuffs as a weapon to take out multiple Skrulls with one shot. Even when they punched or shocked her it had no effect and she knocked them out. One Skrull roared at her to which Vers responded with a roar of her own.
Thor laughed. It reminded him of the time he fought with the Frost Giants, specifically the big one that came in and challenged him.
They had both let out roars at each other.
The last Skrull attempted to shock her, only for Vers to throw him down where he was hit with his own weapon instead.
"Damn," Rhodey murmured surprised.
"Impressive," Natasha complimented. "To able to do that while limited."
Vers definitely wasn't an amateur when it came to fighting, that much was obvious.
Vers continued to move throughout the ship until she came to another room. Attempting to open the door she used her foot on the pad. When the door opened she was met with large Skrull.
She quickly hit him in the side and then head to no avail. He brought his own weapon down on her, which she blocked with her restraints, along with two others from the sides and began shocking her.
"I don't get it," Peter said catching everyone's attention. "Talos hit her with it once and she went down. Why is now so different?"
"Different model or power usage perhaps," Fury suggested. "Since they want her alive, they need to take precautions on his much damage they may do."
Peter was a little surprised by the answer but didn't question it.
Truth be told, Fury was a little curious about the kid's question. Up until now, he hadn't known much about what went down on Talos ship bar the important parts. He would have to ask him the next time he saw him.
On her back, Vers tried to fire off energy only for the restraints to get in the way and force her back. as the Skrulls prepared to attack, Vers ignited her fists and fired nonstop until the restraints finally blew off while at the same time taking out her pursuers.
Seeing her hands free, Vers looked thrilled as she stood up and faced the Skrulls behind her. She got into a fighting stance and grinned confidently at the Skrulls just daring them to attack her.
"Awesome," Peter cheered. "Now she can escape and…"
The wall started to crack behind her as the Skrulls retreated in fear.
"Oh," Peter trailed off. "Maybe not."
Vers turned at saw the cracks with her expression turning into one befitting what any other person would think in that situation, "oh shit". The cracks collapsed and left a hole that started sucking Vers and everyone else into space. Vers managed to hold onto a railing but many Skrulls were sent outside and quickly killed.
However, Vers activated her helmet which allowed her to breathe.
"Smart," Steve commented. "That will keep her alive for the time being."
"Hey Mr Stark, could any of your armours keep someone alive in space?" Peter asked.
Tony contemplated his answer. Space travel wasn't something he had thought about when designing his suits but it was something he could consider.
"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "It's not impossible. I'd have to make some modifications since space is different from what I'm used to." He then snapped his fingers. "You know what, I'll get started after this."
Firing off a photon blast, Vers catapulted herself behind the door which closed. Running along the corridor, she passed by the room she was previously held in and deactivated her helmet. The two Skrulls held up their hands in surrender. Vers walked up to them and took her boots.
"Don't forget your shoes," Scott called out. "Very important."
A recording of the sexist man came up and Vers blasted the monitor to silence him.
"Good riddance," Rhodey murmured having disliked the pilot from the get-go.
Vers ran through the corridors again, coming to the escape pods. Hijacking one by throwing the pilot out, Vers attempted to start it up only to be interrupted by Talos who's shot just missed her. He mockingly asked why she was leaving so soon when they were just starting to know more about each other.
"You expect her to believe that after you kidnapped her and hooked her up to a machine?" Clint asked incredulously.
"She would be better off taking her chances on whatever planet she arrives on," Thor declared. "Actually, she is better off."
Vers glared at him and fired a photon blast forcing Talos to duck. She then fired up the escape pod with an excited smile and was out of the ship and heading towards what appeared Earth. The Skrull ship behind her began to explode.
"Anyone else thinks we haven't seen the last of Talos?" Sam asked.
"Yes," everyone responded.
"If her luck is anything like ours, then he'll show up again," Steve said.
As sad as it was, nothing in their lives ever went the way they wanted it to.
There were always complications.
As she descended towards the planet, Vers' pod looked like a meteor falling to Earth. Then her pod began to fall apart and she was forced out and left struggling to hold on.
"And her luck is like ours," Steve deadpanned.
"As bad you mean?" Wanda clarified.
"Yes," Steve replied.
The part Vers was holding onto broke off and she was sent falling from a great height.
"Shit!" Tony shouted. "A fall from that height will kill her."
"Do not worry Stark! Kree are more durable than humans, and her uniform will aid in protecting her," the God of Thunder assured him.
Even still, everyone else (barring Nick) looked worried. Regardless of how durable she was, Vers would still be injured from a fall like that.
Bracing for impact, Vers crashed through the roof of the building.
"Well, I've seen worse escape plans," Tony admitted.
"Oh really?" Rhodey teased.
"What was all that though?" Wanda asked. "Her memories, they were all over the place."
"They did confirm she was from Earth though," Vision pointed out. "Vers and Lawson are human."
"Vers may be, let's not jump to conclusions about Lawson," T'Challa urged.
"One thing is for certain though, Vers past is not what she thought," Natasha stated. "Whatever she was told, the Kree aren't being honest with her."
That much they could all agree on. Thor in particular was not in favour of trusting the Kree due to their history.
Theor thoughts were interrupted by the voice from before.
"Pardon me, but I've invited someone else to this viewing," much to everyone's shock. "This person has seen what you have seen in a matter of seconds. She also an acquaintance of Nick Fury." All eyes were on him now. "However, I will ask that he remain silent about her last name until the time is right."
A portal appeared and a dark-skinned woman with black curly hair.
"Ugh," she groaned. "So much for a pleasant journey." She then took notice of the occupants in the room until she across a familiar face. "Director Fury?!"
Fury's eyes widened as recognized who it was.
"Monica!"
Hi there! Well, what did you think of that? I focused on Carol's memories for most of the chapter because a lot happens in such a short amount of time. And at the end, I introduced Monica though the others won't find out who she is until later.
I won't be updating this story for a while because I need to focus on college as this is the year I am graduating, and I really don't want to fail.
Anyway, please let me know what you thought of the chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading!
Also, I've created a poll on my main page for what story idea (see future story idea descriptions) I should try out next. If you are interested, please take a look and possibly vote.