“Hala, seat of the Kree Empire and home of the supposed ‘supreme intelligence,’” Dan let the possessed Kree guide their ship towards the cityscape that covered the surface. The flavour of this planet was off, an acrid tang that turned his lips to a frown. “The people here are a miserable bunch, stunted in mind and spirit.”
“We approach our destination,” Yon-Rogg walked forward and bowed, face an expressionless mask. Venom had taken hold of the man’s consciousness, an iron vice that turned the Kree into a loyal puppet. “The Supreme Intelligence sees all that happens on Hala, I will not be able to hide you once we have docked.”
Dan gave the man a nod and returned his attention to the planet below. He had no need to hide, but his plan for the Kree Empire required a subtle approach. Unlike Captain Marvel, he would not destroy the Supreme Intelligence. It would be taken over by Venom, a single act that would place a sizable territory under his command.
“It will not see me,” Dan smiled as his body darkened, wrapped in the shadow of his power. The Supreme Intelligence was only a machine, incapable of countering the might of his realm. “Once it has been tamed, we shall begin the conversion of the upper echelons.”
“Of course,” Yon-Rogg rose from his bow and followed Dan’s gaze. “I would recommend that you recall Ronan the Accuser and bring him under your control. His influence is enough to divide the empire, should he be allowed to roam free.”
“I’d almost forgotten about him,” Dan tapped a finger against his jaw as their vessel settled to the ground. His perceptions swept outward, focused on the fortified chamber that housed the Supreme Intelligence’s core. “He can be one of the first we convert, after Venom has replaced the A.I.”
Ronan was insane, but he was reasonably powerful. Strong enough to wield an infinity stone, though he had to rely on his weapon to support him. Once he was venomized, it would make controlling the Kree impossibly easy.
“Carry on as you normally would,” Dan vanished from within the spacecraft, inside of the Supreme Intelligence’s core room with a single thought. A wave of shadow erupted from his body and isolated the chamber from the outside world. “Now, let’s see just how ‘supreme’ you are…”
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“Where am I…” Carol Danvers shot upright in a bed that was not her own. The room around her was sterile and unfamiliar, with curtains drawn over floor to ceiling windows. “Doctor Lawson!”
Eyes wide, Carol forced herself from the bed and started for the door. The last thing she remembered was shooting her downed vessel, an attempt to follow the injured Doctor’s wishes.
“Do not worry, the one you know as Wendy Lawson is alive and well,” the door to her room opened to reveal a golden skinned man. A familiar sigil shone from his metallic chest, the curved ‘S’ of Superman. “I am Prime Zero. You are currently in the medical ward of the Justice League headquarters, the Doctor is in a room across the hall.”
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“How did we get here?” Carol stepped back toward the covered windows as Zero squeezed through the doorway. At seven feet tall and three feet wide at his shoulders, the golden humanoid turned the modest room into a cramped space. “Does the airforce know where we are?”
“Superman saved you from an alien attack,” Zero waved a hand and the curtains pulled back to let in the sun. The rebuilt skyline of Manhattan unfolded before them, touched by the kiss of dawn. “He is currently dealing with your attackers as we speak. As for the airforce…”
“Hey, Metal-Man, have you seen Sue and Richards?” A well built man in his early twenties pushed into the room without warning, oblivious to his surroundings as he approached Zero and poked his metallic chest. “They've been avoiding me ever since we joined up with this Justice League of yours…”
The man finally took notice of Carol, his eyes drawn from her feet to her face in an appraisal that narrowed her eyes. It was bad enough to wake in a storage bed, now she had to deal with a lusty buffoon.
“Johnny, this is a private room,” Zero released a mechanical sigh as he wrapped the man in a golden light. Levitated from the ground and floated back toward the door, Johnny flashed Carol a toothed grin. “I’ve told you before, your sister and Dr. Richards are currently in Superman’s laboratory…”
“Sure, sure,” Johnny waved away Zero’s words, focused on Carol with a predatory gaze. “The name’s Johnny, but people call me the Human Torch. Who might you be?”
“Ignore him,” Zero forced Johnny from the room and closed the door behind him. “We have much to discuss, Ms. Danvers. The accident you experienced has altered your body on a fundamental level…”
“I want to see Dr. Lawson, before we talk about anything else,” Carol raised her hand to silence the golden Prime. “I owe it to her to make certain that she’s safe.”
“...very well, come this way,” the door swung open and spilled an unprepared Johnny to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and extended a hand toward Carol, a hint of fire in his eyes.
“I still haven’t gotten your name…” Johnny didn’t miss a beat as she swept past him and into the hall, on Zero’s trail as he led the way to Lawson’s room. “Maybe we can have dinner and you can tell me about yourself?”
“In your dreams,” Carol snorted as she put on a burst of speed, inside the doctor's room before Johnny could say another word. Zero slammed the door into the hungry fellow’s face, while she walked to Lawson’s bedside. “Is she alright?”
“I’m fine, Carol,” Lawson opened her eyes and gave a weary smile. Her gaze flicked to Zero’s golden form, before she ignored his presence. “I’m afraid I’ve not been completely honest with you…”
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“Father, you didn’t tell us that we had company,” laughter echoed over the skies of Mortis, an interruption that stole the thunder from the Father’s rage. A bald man with blood-red eyes flew towards them, a dismissive sneer on his face. “I would have been here to welcome them, had I known.”
“You knew the moment they set foot in our kingdom,” the Father snorted as he rolled his eyes, focused on a green haired woman who followed behind his son. “Daughter, this is the one I’ve spoken about, the Chosen of the Force who shall take my place.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Anakin,” Dressed in gold and white, with hair down to her heels, the Daughter flashed the young Wizard a smile. She gave a respectful nod to the others, before she turned her gaze to May. “And who is this? She feels like an angry dragon!”
“I am an angry dragon,” May narrowed her eyes and glanced between the three Celestials. She might be able to defeat them one on one, but all together they would have too great an advantage. “Your Father is trying to steal away my people against their will, as good a reason as any for me to be annoyed.”
“He does that, but don’t worry,” the Son cackled, an outburst that was followed by the crackle of thunder. “We don’t need an outsider to take on the throne, especially one who has the gall to refuse such a gift.”
“We have discussed this at length and I will speak of it no more!” the Father’s face darkened as a wave of power battered his son to the ground. “The Chosen One is determined by the Force, not your foolish desire for power…”
“Please, Father, we shouldn’t fight in front of the guests,” the Daughter positioned herself between the two men and released a wave of calming light. She turned a smile toward May and her group, apologetic and embarrassed. “Why don’t we tell Anakin what it is he’s being offered and let him decide for himself? That way we can avoid a battle with a potential ally.”