Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Eight. Thor Loser

In the warehouse, Peter and the rest watched as Gargoyle killed Coulson, and then fought with Thor who was then revealed to be a different type of alien,

“Skrulls,” Carol explained as they watched. “They tried to settle on Earth before, and the Kree pursued and tried to finish them off.” She stared down at her bottle, “I stopped them, but they took it out on Xandar.”

“And you didn't know?” Gwen asked as she poked Peter in the side,

“Yeah, my powers dont include alien detection.” and he flinched as she tried to poke him again,

“But you meet with Coulson all the time, for one stupid thing or another, and you couldn't tell?” she asked once more, as she tried to find a way past his defences. Since being de-powered she took any small victory where she could.

“Yeah, not big on aliens, and Coulson kinda weird anyway.” He retorted and grabbed her fingers.

“And Thor?” she asked as he pulled her into his grasp, sitting her on his lap.

“Uh, he's an alien anyway. It’s not like listening to a different language. It’s just scrambled and weird noises.”

“Yeah, but a different kind, and you couldn't tell?” She asked as she wiggled to make herself comfortable and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I met Thor, like three times, get off my case. I dont hear you complaining at Carol.”

Carol was sitting nursing a bottle, “alien detection powers aren't on my list either, but seriously, if the Kree are coming, we need to prepare. They won't stop, and they will kill everyone.”

Peter raised an eyebrow, “So kinda what we were doing anyway, but for different reasons?”

Carol shook her head, “They won't be nice and hide then leap out and yell surprise. They set the atmosphere on fire, wait until we’re charred husks and then take over the planet. Kree isn’t invaders, they’re destroyers of anything that isn’t Kree.”

Peter looked seriously at the group, “Liv, get the mark three done as fast as possible. We’ll need it. Jean, contact Charles and find out if Avalon is still functional. It isn’t a lot but anyone who can fight from space can use it as a supply base. Oh, get Kitty to make more caverns, unless, uh. Can they blow up the moon?”

Carols shrugged, “Probably, but most species, even the Kree, don’t go for actually blowing up planets. You don’t know what several hundred billion tonnes of rubble will do when caught in the rest of the system's gravity well. Might as well just blow yourself up.” 

Something was bothering her though. If the Skrulls had Goyle, why did he suddenly get free now?

“Pete, can you rewind that?” Carol asked, leaning forwards, and Peter handed her the remote. As she rewound the news, and then slowly moved it forwards, the group watched as Bereet, manhandling the disfigured Norman, pushed him, and for a brief flash a silver injector could be seen in her hand.

“Son of a bitch. It was her.” As Carol let the rest of the recording play, while the camera concentrated most of its shots on the fight between Soren and Goyle, it was obvious that Bereet had used it as a distraction.

Carol sat her drink on the table, “Sorry guys. I need to help them.” and as Ravage changed into her Captain Marvel uniform, she lit up and floated, “if you get armoured up, you can join me.” and like a rocket, she shot out of the warehouse towards the Shield building.

Peter and the rest watched her zoom away, while Jean and Wanda both looked at each other,

“Uh, we can fly, do we go after her?” Jean asked, and Wanda shrugged,

“Do we need to?” Wanda asked. Carol was still one of the group's heavy hitters, even after taking a blow to her powers when Rogue attacked her.

“You should. I get this is personal for her, but you dont know what else is out there.” Peter said, “especially if one of those cruisers opens fire.”

Liv sat up as well, “I’ll see what armour we have. But I don’t think anyone has working flight capability. You would have to swing there.”

Peter paused for a moment, “Will you two be okay?” and Jean and Wanda looked at each other, as Jean was surrounded by flames and Wanda surrounded herself in red energy.

“We’re tough.” they said, and giggled, “jinx,” they both said and Jean raised an eyebrow,

“We can deal with that later. Peter, we’ll be fine” and the pair linked hands and shot from the warehouse after Carol.

“Yeah, but I still think facing a giant spaceship without armour is a bad idea.”

Liv already had her phone out, and was shifting into outdoor clothing, “I’ll get to Ivan and see what we have. Because I also think fighting a giant spaceship without armour is a bad idea, even if you are a super-augment.”

~

Outside Carol was racing towards the Shield building. It wasn’t fair, but when a madwoman with some kind of agenda just set a crazy monster loose, you counted the seconds. Ravage agreed with her, and she could what the sound of a blaster firing on the roof of the Shield building.

She stopped and looked around, and saw Bereet, firing off pulses of laser with one hand, and prying open a panel on the massive satellite dish shield had on the roof with the other.

“Got you now, bitch,” and Ravage flew straight at her.

Bereet almost jumped out of her skin as she saw the glow of Captain Marvel flying at her, she fired off a few rounds, but it wasn’t any use., She knew she was too tough and too powerful for someone with a blaster. She fired two shots off at the door, to stop the Asgardian forces and as she saw the creature flying close enough ready to obliterate her, she took a deep breath,

“CONFORM, OBEY. COMPLY” Bereet screamed and Carol felt the world go black. Bereet sighed in relief. She knew Vers had been given an extra-strong dose of the Supreme Intelligence’s conditioning and that it still held fast within her mind.

Not many agents were given a direct path to its mainframe, and while many were jealous of her connection, Bereet knew it was not that simple.

Constantly under pressure from the Supreme Intelligence slowly wore a person's will down, until they were its willing and most loyal subject. Bereet had the treatment once and felt wonderful afterwards. She would dedicate her life to the Kree, and its ideals. It was only with time the shine wore off. 

Being a pink Kree, she was treated with disdain and scorn, and without the constant psycho-hypnotic suggestion, she grew jaded. The only loyalty she had towards the Empire was her family, held in a containment centre, keeping their ‘unclean’ presence away from the more pure blue Kree. 

It was all bullshit. She learned from other cultures as she infiltrated the Nova Corp that skin colour, limb number or any number of special differences was no reason to hate someone. She knew a lot of good people who were not blue, and a lot of assholes, who being spaced was too good, for that were.

Right now though, unless she wanted to see her family disintegrated slowly, she had a mission. And as she looked up at the blank face of Vers, she sighed, “Vers, Under command of the Supreme Intelligence, You are to assist in subjugation of the planet. Protect me until my work is complete.”

“I conform, I obey. I comply.” Vers replied, “I can detect two more coming this way. Your orders?”

“If they try to stop me, kill them.”

NO! Ravage screamed within her mind. She could feel that sick voice repeating over and over. CONFORM. OBEY. COMPLY. Repeating over and over, an endless loop of scratching and itchiness, like being bitten over and over by a tiny bug with no chance of relief. 

She used her powers to dull it, but nobody would understand, nobody would trust her if they knew the truth. Vers hadn’t died during the last invasion. She simply slept, and Ravage was now powerless to stop her from waking and taking over.

Help! Carol is gone, Ravage cried to her sisters and Wanda and Jean both paused,

Gone? Jean asked,

The bad machine left a seed of doubt in her mind, and the seed has grown, she is now Vers once more, and we cannot stop her.

Wanda, you take out that pink bitch. I’ll make sure Carol is okay. Ravage, leave and find a new host, don’t care how don’t care when just leave. This will hurt and I don’t want you to suffer with her.

Ravage paused, but she is our all, we love her

I know, we all do but this will not be fair on you. And without warning, Jean reached out a hand and Ravage felt herself being forcefully separated,

Please no, we need her, she cried out

Jean could only whisper, I'm sorry Ravage, I promise I’ll make it up to you. And as she looked down, she saw Soran. Giving her a brief scan, she nodded. She wasn't perfect, but for now, she would do.

Ravage cried out, half in terror and half in excitement as she whizzed through the air and with a soft splat landed on Soren.

Help, my friends are stopping Bereet, but they need you, please, help me.

Soren frowned but nodded and she felt the connection to the symbiote, and as the memories of Carol joined with her own, she roared in anger at Goyle, and kicked his corpse over and over again, punting it through the parking lot and leaving it to roll over the asphalt. 

“Get me my ship. I am,” She started, 

Ravage whispered to her, No, be calm, be serene. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate,  hate leads to

Are you quoting Star wars at me? Soren asked, now confused. She could feel the strength of the Klyntar as they bonded, and the rush of emotion she felt. Tainted by her husband's death, and her fury at the Kree.

Carol loves it, and so does Peter. We should watch it, with popcorn But the love radiated from the Klyntar and wrapped her in a soft warmth, it didn’t dull the pain she felt at Talos’s death, it celebrated his life and the love they shared. It made her cry, and her heartache but the burning fury was slowly replaced by a sense of loss, and happiness at sharing her life with such a wonderful man.

Maybe after they fight.

And as she felt it, Soren looked up, at the three bright auras in the sky.

Jean and Wanda are powerful, but they will not hurt Carol. She is still under Kree control,

The bad machine? Soren asked, and got a warm feeling of agreement. She knew exactly who Ravage meant.

“Right. We’ve got Friendly and Hostile Augments on the warpath. Evacuate. All personnel are to evacuate. We dont want to be here when they start fighting.” and grabbing her communicator, “everyone out the building. Survivors radio for help and we’ll get medical teams to you ASAP.” Soren shouted her orders through her radio. 

She had the memories of Ravage now and knew exactly the devastation Carol, Jean, and Wanda could do. No one on the ground would survive if they fought seriously, and she knew Bereet had no chance.

Looking up at the sky, she saw the smaller ships approaching, and knew the Kree must have support on the cruisers as well.

“Get some anti-fighter armaments out. We might not be able to help them fight, but we can keep the skies clear.” She paused, “oh and tell the humans we’re on their side. I don’t want some asshole shooting at me because they think I’m going to probe them.”

The memories she had received from Ravage were interesting and contained many new and exotic swear words and cultural significance, and Soren was smiling as she learned a lot about Earth and its customs.

We need to pay attention as well. Ravage chastised her,

“I see you have one too. Did you know they’re cannibals, and they do taste so delicious.” and Goyle rose up, spitting out a wad of blood onto the pavement. “I told you little bug, that they tried that before,”

Soren let Ravage coat her, and her maw split, revealing the jagged teeth. Combined with her own shapeshifting abilities, the tendrils that sprang from her back all became razor-sharp blades, mimicking the harness Ravage had memories of when she was bonded with Liv.

“Then I have a lot more, you big ugly motherfucker!” and as blades grew from her Ravage coated her, and she slashed at Goyle, catching him through both the heart, and the throat once more, but before she could finish him, the rooftop exploded into a bright yellow light and she froze.

That was not good.

Malisson

Carol's problem with the Supreme Intelligence’s conditioning was brought up in chapter 284,

Just in case anyone thinks it's come out of nowhere…