“Captain America, Sir!” Agent Coulson gripped Steve’s hand, his face reddened with excitement. “It’s a real honour to meet you, I’ve been a fan of yours since I was a boy!”
“Thanks…” Steve gave the balding agent a bemused smile as he glanced between Dan and Nick Fury. “Superman has been telling me about the both of you. I’m glad to meet a pair of trustworthy contacts inside S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Coulson almost keeled over at the idea that Superman knew his name, an amusement that Dan was forced to ignore. Richards and Tony had sent an alert, one keyed to his personal com-channel. He gave an apologetic nod to the two agents, his focus on the distant laboratory.
“Indeed, Howard has nothing but good things to say about Fury, and Coulson has an impeccable record,” Dan waved to Steve as his body began to fade away. “The Captain here can continue our meeting, I’m afraid an emergency has come up that requires my attention.”
Dan reappeared at Tony’s side, an action that caused the Kryptonian convert to jump. Richards didn’t miss a beat as he ignored Stark’s exaggerated reaction and projected their data onto the screen.
“There seems to be a high energy entity on a direct course for the Earth,” Richards zoomed in on the vague image of a silver-lit figure, his brow furrowed in concern. “Their energy is similar to the cosmic storm that gave Sue and I our powers, but highly concentrated…”
“The Herald of Galactus,” Dan tilted his head upward and peered toward the distant Surfer. His arrival was expected, though it was earlier than the timeline he had in mind. “Good work, you three. I’ll go say hello to our visitor, please tell Kara and Cal to gather the Justice League.”
The world flickered as Dan teleported, replaced by the cool darkness of space. A streak of silver raced toward him, the glow of the Surfer’s Power Cosmic. The near featureless figure tilted his head and came to a rapid halt, white eyes narrowed as he look Dan up and down
“Who are you? What Master do you serve?” The Silver Surfer Released a bloom of cosmic light, a wave that Dan ignored as it washed over his skin. “You contain a vast amount of energy, a dark and terrible power… what multiversal abomination granted you their favour?”
“Funny, coming from you,” Dan laughed as he extended a hand forward to shake, a gesture that the Surfer ignored. “As the Herald of Galactus, how many have you sacrificed to your own multiversal Master?”
“I do as I must,” A flicker of regret passed through the Surfer’s eyes, replaced by tired resignation. He shrugged his shoulders and attempted to circle around Dan, intent on continuing his way toward Earth. “Now step aside, or I…”
“I’m afraid not,” Dan gave an easy smile as he reappeared before the Surfer, a palm against the startled Herald’s chest. Black and silver energy rippled into the void, an aftershock of power that blasted the man away from his target. “You’re on your way to my home planet and I won’t be letting you mark it as dinner for Galactus… hmmm?”
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Dan raised an eyebrow as the Surfer drew in the force of his attack and converted it into his own brand of cosmic power. Wreathed in silver, the Herald raised his hands and released a concentrated beam of force.
A flick of Dan’s biofield halted the attack, a frozen lance of energy that hovered in the void. Unlike Apocalypse, the Silver Surfer was well practised in his manipulation of cosmic power. He could redirect and absorb the energy of the phantom zone without much effort, an opponent that could truly test his new limits.
“My Master must feed, and your world is the next in line,” Silver Surfer gave Dan a gaze filled with pity as the power cosmic radiated from under his metallic skin. “Nothing you or I do can change that.”
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“This is as close as we can get, but you are welcome to venture closer,” the Daughter shook her green hair in a wave that settled behind her shoulders, while the Son seemed determined to take another step. “Within the tunnel, far below the earth, is the way to ensure your freedom. A weapon, one that can threaten even our Father.”
“So nice of you to show us right to it… and nice of him to let you,” May raised an eyebrow as she probed the depths with her perceptions. A singular tunnel extended below the jungle around them, all the way to an ominous altar. “What reason do you have to help us? Better yet, what reason does your Father have to allow us so close to this place?”
“I believe in a person's right to forge their own destiny, even if I haven’t found it to be very common,” the Daughter laughed as the Son was forced backward from the tunnel entrance. “As for our Father… my brother and I have turned aside his focus. He believes us to be within my gardens, exploring the mysteries of the flora and fauna of Mortis.”
May shook her head and walked toward the entrance, past the aggravated Son and into the darkness of the cave. Whatever barrier was in place ignored her passage, even as it held the Celestials back.
“Merlyn, you wait here with the others,” May glanced from the faithful Wizard, to the two Celestial deities. She still didn’t trust the Daughter, and the Son was clearly not on their side. “Send word if our hosts decide to become less hospitable.”
“We both want the same thing,” the Daughter’s voice followed her into the cave, a whisper in the dark that came from all directions. “Freedom from our Father’s rule, the right to choose our own path in the universe. Anakin and the others will be safe with us, but be warned, our Father will know it the moment you take the dagger.”
“Good to know,” May rolled her eyes and picked up her pace. The tunnel was kilometres long, too great a distance to bother taking it slow. “If you’re telling the truth, keep an eye on my allies. Krypton has no reason to stand in the way of your freedom, so long as it doesn’t strangle the dreams of others.”
The Daughter’s laughter chimed out all around her, a display of mirth that faded to silence. May sighed and let the world blurr around her, a burst of speed that brought her before the luminous green altar.
The emerald-black pyramid folded open on her approach and displayed a coiled, silver hilt. It hovered in place, wrapped within a powerful concentration of Force energy. May’s fingers flickered, a wave of runic light that scanned the chamber for traps.
“It looks like the Father was confident in his barrier, and unconcerned about anyone but his children from trying to take this thing,” May shook her head and reached out to take hold of the bladeless hilt. “Seems kind of foolish, but I suppose people can’t really get into Mortis without his consent…”
The metal coil in her hand vibrated, a hum that awoke the sleepy draconic energy within her body. Golden-white light radiated from her skin, wrapped up by the hilt and shaped into a long, curved sword.
Unfamiliar runes decorated the flat of the blade, an inscription that carried the roar of a formless dragon. The stone ceiling above cracked, shaken to the point of collapse by the call of the newborn weapon.
“WHO DARES… YOU!!!” The Father stepped from a ripple in the air, nostrils flared as he narrowed his eyes. “What have you done? Your power has tainted the Dagger of Mortis… something that shouldn't be possible.”
“Hey, don’t blame me,” May shrugged as she gave her sword an idle swing. “It’s not like you had any signs telling guests to keep out…”