Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel thinks to herself that, sometimes, just when you think you know where you're going, the universe finds a way to smack you over the head – with another universe – where up is down, you're a criminal and Thanos is a good guy. She knows that no matter what, though, someone will be threatening you with some version of a blaster – you can count on it. 'Surprise, surprise!' Dr Eve exclaims as she holds two blasters out in front of her, one aimed at Carol, the other ar Lord Starkill. 'Dr Eve?' Carol asks. 'Captain' Dr Eve replies. 'Doctor Dead Lady?' Starkill gasps. 'Idiot' Dr Eve mutters. Inside a small spacejet, Starkill turns to Carol: 'Captain?' he asks, before remarking 'Idiot? That's Lord Idiot Starkill to you' before asking Carol if this creeper is a friend of hers. Carol frowns back at Dr Eve and tells starkill that this woman doesn't make friends, she grows them in her weird, Kree clone-y bake ovens. 'Cool...' Starkill replies, adding that he is pretty sure he star-killed her a few caves ago.
'You what?' Carol asks, turning to Starkill, who rubs his head and tells Carol that, to be fair, he didn't know she and Dr Eve had a thing going on. “A thing?” Carol quotes, rolling her eyes. 'If you think running into your Mad-Doctor nemesis after escaping your Good-Guy-Thanos nemesis is “a thing”!' she mutters, to which Starkill exclaims 'Whoa, whoa, whoa...hold on there. Just how many nemesis-es...how many of us...do you have?' Starkill asks. 'Seriously?' Carol replies. 'I'm just saying, it's rude. No. It's offensive' Starkill declares. 'We're gonna do this now?' Carol asks, as Dr Eve looks from one to the other and back again. 'Er, hello?' she calls out. 'A person thinks he has...one...only to find out he's being stockpiled? What, was there some kinda sale at Nemesee...' Starkill begins. '... sai...' Carol corrects him. '... sesses...'R Us?' Starkill continues, to which an annoyed Dr Eve shouts 'Captain?! Idiot?! Enough!'
Carol asks Starkill if he notices how the doctor here doesn't call her “Corporal” like he and the Zetas do. 'A dead lady is talking and you think the stuff she's saying is the weird thing?' Starkill asks. 'She's not dead! She's also not from this universe' Carol declares. 'Very true, Captain' Dr Eve replies as she holds the weapons towards Carol and Starkill, and announces that she has come all the way from Carol's solar system. 'And dragged me along for the ride' Carol frowns. 'Yes, for a purpose' Dr Eve claims, before smiling and asking Carol to give it to her – the Reality Stone – or else her friend will suffer. 'It can't be!' Carol gasps. 'Whoa!' Starkill exclaims, as the ghostly form of Bean appears behind Dr Eve. 'Carol' Bean calls out. 'It can talk?' Starkill shouts. 'Bean? That you, kiddo?' Carol asks, before turning back to Dr Eve and asking her what she has done.
Dr Eve remains silent, so Starkill smiles at her: 'Listen – Dr Bean, was it? - yeah, been great seeing you again. Sorry about that whole... shooting you...thing. It's just the job I've got sort of a work-life balance thing, yanno...' Starkill babbles, before Dr Eve frowns and shoots him at close range, reducing him to a drooling mess as he collapses on the floor. 'Enough' Dr Eve exclaims, as she aims her weapons at Carol. 'Look, I'll take my frenemy here and go. Just give me Bean. What do you want with one Hala kid, anyway?' Carol asks. 'Good question. Now come with me if you want her to live' Dr Eve replies.
Outside of the jet now, on space deck, Carol reaches out to Bean's ghostly form who floats alongside her as she follows Dr Eve who informs Carol that the Hala child can't feel her and that she can't stop or even sway her, as she is the future of Hala now. Carol looks unimpressed as she shouts 'Listen up, Doc Crackpot – whatever you've done, whatever you're up to? I will stop you'. Dr Eve glances sideways and bursts into hysterical laughter. 'What's so funny?' Carol frowns. 'You, Captain...' Dr Eve remarks. 'Stranded in this alien reality... with no friends... no team... no real hope... yet somehow still barking useless heroic platitudes' Dr Eve declares. 'Where I come from, those are just called threats' Carol retorts. Dr Eve turns back to Carol and points out that she may have been born human, but that she is a true Kree warrior, every cell in her body shouts it. Dr Eve sighs as she thinks of the armies she could have built from her. 'Yeah. Bummer' Carol mutters. 'That'll be our cue...' Dr Eve remarks as there is a loud booming noise behind them.
Just then, Zeta Flight members Sasquatch, Eugene Judd and Wendy Kawasaki, along with Draxx, Rockette and Root from the Ravagers, Starkill's team, burst into the corridor. 'What the flark was that? You trying to blow up the ship or something?' Rockette asks. 'I am Root' the large carrot-like alien replies. 'Again?' Rockette asks, before she sees Lord Starkill on the ground, and asks him what happened to him. Sasquatch and Eugene help him up, and he tells them that he got jumped – ten guys – big ones – real hooligans. 'J-j-j-jumped?' Eugene asks, nervously. 'How big?' Sasquatch enquires. 'Huge' Starkill tells him. 'I mean... by human standards. Right, Danvers? Danvers?' Starkill calls out, only to find that Carol is gone as Draxx tells him there is no use yelling, as the Corporal is not here. 'Well, where they hell is she?' Starkill asks. 'Clearly she fled with the ten large hooligans' Draxx points out. '... or with that moonship that just blew past us' Wendy suggests. 'Follow that ship!' Starkill exclaims as they board the small jet and take off after the moonship.
Inside the moonship, Bean hovers next to Dr Eve, who asks Carol for the stone. 'No way. Not until you let Bean go...bust her out of whatever this crazy shadow state is...' Carol replies. Dr Eve announces that she can't do that, as after Starkill shot her, and completely obliterated her brand-new mim unit, she had no choice but to link the Hala child's life force to hers. 'WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?' Carol shouts. 'An unfortunate complication. Or a lucky one. Depending on whom you ask' Dr Eve replies. Carol narrows her eyes and looks furious as she asks 'You're using the kid as a freaking horcrux?' to which Dr Eve tells Carol to calm herself, as she and the Hala child will be reunited soon enough, and adds that there is much more to the story than Carol thinks.
Flashback images:
Years ago, Dr Eve served as a medical officer in the Kree military, although young, she was what one might call a visionary, as thousands of years of war, particularly against the Skrulls, had weakened their once great empire – and even when battles were won, their losses were devastating. Dr Eve knew she had to do something to restore Hala to her former glory, and knew her work could make a difference. She holed away in her lab, experimenting and working on Kree and Skrulls alike, and by splicing Kree DNA with cellular matter from other life-forms, she soon found a way to regenerate fallen Kree soldiers into endless combat resources – a breakthrough that she knew could turn the tide for the Kree empire. Her metamorphs were successful, even if her subjects were not their former selves – to her, they were much more. But, not everyone flet as Dr Eve did, and her commanding officers saw the Mim units as abominations and they terminated her research – but she escaped with a single Mim, and together, they spent what seemed like an eternity in exile – until the unthinkable happened, and Hala was destroyed.
The cause of the destruction was Earth and her “heroes” meddling with forces beyond their comprehension, and it was then that Dr Eve knew she had to return to her work – for if they had been armed with her Mim army, then the Kree would not have fallen. So, upon Earth, she focussed her efforts on perfecting her work, conquering Carol's Earth, as Carol, with her unique genetic makeup, made her the perfect subject. But, Dr Eve's plans were ruined by Captain Marvel, but not before she learned the true nature of the Hala child that Carol calls “Bean”. Dr Eve had long suspected that Carol was the key to unlocking Hala's potential – only she was wrong – it was the child – the girl had become the multiform, and within her lay the power of Hala, throughout all time and dimension. Eve tracked the Hala child across the cosmos until she found her at the remnants of their hold homeworld – something had callled her there, something Dr Eve thought she would never see again – the Supreme Intelligence, now resurrected!
Present:
Dr Eve grins as she tells declares that the appearance of the multiform, the resurrection of the Supreme Intelligence and Captain Marvel herself, are not a coincidence, but signs of the return of their Kree destiny – a destiny that she will never betray again. Carol looks shocked: 'Let me get this straight – you think you're some sort of pink-skinned Kree messiah?' she asks. 'So you've kidnapped Bean – and now me – to use us to jumpstart the Kree Second Coming?' Carol asks. Dr Eve tells her that she is not entirely wrong – but wrong enough. 'So here's what's gonna happen – you pull this ship over and undo the whammy you put on Bean... and in return, the kid and I take off before anyone gets hurt, deal?' Carol declares. Dr Eve grins and turns to Bean, calling her “Little One” and remarking 'Your captain is nearly as stubborn as you'. Carol asks Dr Eve if she is talking to Bean, and what is going on.
There is a beeping noise, and Dr Eve announces that they are on approach, and excuses herself, as she has some last-minute preparations. 'Preparations for what?' Carol asks. 'Tell her, little one' Dr Eve remarks. Bean turns to Carol and tells her that she is sorry for the deception, but that it ewas necessary. 'I knew you'd come if I called for your help, and I do need it. If our people are to fulfill our destiny, you too must join us'. Wide-eyed, Carol looks at Bean and asks her what she is talking about, as there is no destiny, Eve is a cuckoo bird. 'Then a cuckoo bird is Hala's last hope, and you and I must help a cuckoo bird save our people' Bean replies, touching Carol's face.
Inside the other jet: 'What's the word on the Corporal, Puck?' Starkill asks. 'For the last time, it's Eugene' Eugene retorts as he pilots the jet. Starkill ignores him and asks if there is any news on that not-dead-enough doc, the one who looted their loot. Eugene reports that he has found the ship's energy signature, but they are keeping to an irregular flight path, scrambling their own signals. 'I can't give you much more than a guess' Eugene adds. 'I don't want a guess... I want my loot back!' Starkill exclaims. Eugene looks at Starkill out the corner of his eye and tells him that he should stop being ridiculous and let him update this Grampasaurus Rex of a system. 'I am Root' Root calls out as he and Rockette appear behind Starkill. Rockette agrees with Root that Gramps 2.0 is just fine the way he is. 'Wanna see real sweat? This pirate on Tarkon 5 told me they're using system updates to track ships. Not worth the risk' Rockette remarks as she eats a sandwich. 'Don't remember seeing you sweating it out at any keyboards, Sandwich Face' Eugue remarks. 'Conspiracy theories aside...this system is impossible to -' Eugene begins, before there is a bleeping sound, and he reports that they have finally gotten a reading. 'There!' he exclaims. 'I am Root?' Root asks, surprised. 'There?' Eugene remarks, confused. 'There?' Starkill asks, narrowing his eyes. 'There?' Rockette adds, munching on the sandwich.
Carol asks Bean to tell her what is going on between her and Dr Eve. 'This isn't you!' Carol exclaims on the other ship. Bean tells Carol that she is wrong. 'This is who I am meant to be. My destiny. I have seen it. In my energy form, I encountered the Supreme Intelligence. Bean continues, informing Carol that standing before the Supreme Intelligence, she felt the hearts of all Hala's children aligned as one – she felt unfinished, and that their story is not over. 'If you had been there, you would have felt it too' Bean adds. “It?” Carol asks. Bean declares that she can restore Hala, that she can be a hero for her people – just like Carol. Bean looks at the window of the moonship and Carol tells her that she can't bring back a planet – that's not how it works, no matter what Eve or some supreme genius thing has told her – she is not rebuilding Hala, not even if that's what she has told herself.
'You are right' Bean replies. Rebuilding a planet is nearly impossible. But what if – with the Reality Stone – we could move one?' Bean asks. 'Move a planet? Kiddo, what are you saying? You can't just -' Carol exclaims, wide-eyed, as Bean tells her to look. 'We are home' Bean announces, as the moonship moves towards a large, dark planet. 'Wait, is that...?' Carol begins. 'Hala, yes. Not the Hala of our dimension, but the Hala of this one' Bean explains. 'And you're gonna, what? Just open up a hole in reality and try to shove a whole planet in our dimension? I hate to break it to you, kid, but no rock is that powerful...and even if it were, it's still a big no. There are consequences to things like this you've got to st-' Carol tells Bean, when suddenly, there is a loud BOOM. 'What was that?' Carol asks. Dr Eve turns to her and declares that they are under fire, that it looks like Carol's friends have found them.
'Thieves and pirates? They cannot keep Hala from rising. It is our destiny!' Dr Eve shouts, wide-eyed, as the other ship continues to open fire on Dr Eve's ship. Dr Eve tells bean to prepare herself, and that she knows what she must do. 'Our time is at hand. Hala will bend every universe to her will' Dr Eve declares. 'I know what I must do. Hala will rise again' Bean tells Carol, who replies 'bean, stop it! You can stop this!' Carol asks Bean not to give up on her, to trust her, just like she used to. 'It's not too late, you don't have to do this -' Carol begins, but Bean suddenly reaches into Carol, 'You trust me...' Bean utters. Bean tells Carol that by any name, with all its power, the Gaia Stone – the Reality Stone – will serve as the savior for their people. 'We will rise to greet the all universe in all time, in all place... we rise because we can. Because we must.'
Bean takes over Carol's form and flies out into space, holding the Reality Stone, she releases energies towards Hala – and as the energies touch the planet, the other children of Hala rise. 'Bean. Stop this! We can stop this! People are going to get hurt!' Carol calls out, but Bean tells her that there is no pain here, they are becoming part of Hala's future. 'Can't you feel it?' she asks. Inside the jet, Dr Eve calls out to Bean and tells her that she must ascend. Energy continues to rise from the Reality Stone in Carol's hand. Carol tells Bean that she feels so strange and asks her what is happening. 'We are ascending. Now we rise to meet our destiny' Bean replies as the energy grows and radiates around Catol. 'Oh... wow' Carol gasps as she watches. An infinity sign appears in Carol's eyes, and Bean tells her that this is eternity, this is everything. 'Can you see it? Can you feel it?' she asks. Carol tells Bean that she can. 'Beautiful' Carol and Bean utter in unison.
But suddenly, voices can be heard calling out: 'No, no, no -'. ''Help – someone help!', 'Mommy! Mommy!' another exclaims. 'What's happening?' Bean asks. Carol tells Bean to look out with her mind, that it is the children, they are terrified. 'What have I done?' Bean asks. Carol tells her that they can still stop this – together – and more energy starts to flow from Carol and Bean, whose forms are separated. 'No! What are you doing? Stop! You're ruining everything!' De Eve shouts from inside the jet.
Carol and Bean land on a space deck, and Bean tells Carol that she is sorry, that she was so confused. Bean tells Carol that it is all right, that she thought she was helping. 'We survived. And look – not a Zeta in sight. We're back!' Carol points out. She looks around at her surroundings and realizes that they are back on the Alpha Flight Space Station, and supposes that they rebuilt when she was out 'Why ya acting so weird, Danvers? How many times do I have to tell you!? I am not your freaking nem... neme... nema...' Star-Lord begins. Carol looks over to Star-Lord, and remembers how she was called Corporal in the alternate reality. 'Does that mean... while I was gone... over here...' she begins, before throwing her arms around Star-Lord and telling him that he is not just her nemesis, but her fave nemesis. 'Huh?' Star-Lord asks, confused. 'Well. Top ten' Carol smiles as she hugs him, and Bean hugs her.
Sasquatch, Puck and Wendy Kawasaki approach Captain Marvel, and Puck announces that he has located the largest depositories of gold bullion as she asked, and Wendy tells Carol that she doesn't understand why she needed her to track all these armored car routes. 'Has Danvers lost her mind? What was that?' Star-Lord asks. Rocket is eating a carrot and tells Star-Lord not to deny that he liked it. 'I wouldn't say -' Star-Lord begins. 'Oh, yeah. You loved it' Rocket declares. 'Squatch! Wen! Euge-' Carol calls out as she wraps her arms around Puck, 'Don't. Even. Think. About. It' Puck warns her Carol as she starts to use his true name. 'Never again, Alphas...you have no idea how good it feels to see you...and to be home' Carol declares, while holding the Reality Stone and hoping that her “evil self” didn't ruin everything.
