Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Maria Rambeau

The experimental aircraft cut through the sky, its engines humming with barely restrained power. Vers handled the controls with practiced ease, as though she’d been flying this particular model for years. Perhaps, Arthur mused, muscle memory was something even Kree mind-tampering couldn’t fully erase.

A soft meow interrupted the silence. Goose, the ginger tabby Flerken, emerged cautiously from under a console where it had presumably napped during the escape from Pegasus.

“We’ve got a stowaway,” Fury announced, spotting the orange cat emerging from beneath a storage compartment.

“Hang on, Goose,” Vers called back as the aircraft hit a patch of turbulence.

The cat meowed again, padding carefully toward Fury.

“Who’s a good kitty, then?” Fury cooed, momentarily forgetting the interstellar crisis as he scratched the Flerken behind the ears. “Yes, you are. Good Goose.”

Arthur watched this display with undisguised amusement. The fearsome future Agent Fury, reduced to baby talk by a “cat” that could devour him in seconds. He briefly considered trying to make the Flerken his pet, but after contemplating it further, Arthur decided there was no point. What would he need a Flerken for anyway? Unlimited storage space?

Breaking the quiet moment, Fury turned to Arthur, his professional demeanour returning.

“I should thank you,” he said reluctantly. “Keller had been replaced by one of those… Skrulls.”

“No worries, mate,” Arthur replied with a casual shrug. “Glad you listened. Avoided a rather messy firefight. Wouldn’t have wanted Vers here,” he nodded towards the pilot, “accidentally vaporising half your SHIELD colleagues. Rather fortunate, that.”

“Yeah, well,” Fury grumbled, “still don’t like owing favours.” He glanced nervously out the window again. “Those agents back at the base… the ones who aren’t these aliens called Skrulls… they gonna be okay?”

Vers hesitated. “I’m not sure. From what I’ve been told about Skrulls, they’ll killed all witnesses to keep their secret. But I don’t know what to believe anymore. Are the Kree really the good guys?”

“No need to worry yourself,” Arthur interjected confidently. “They’ll be right as rain.”

“Why are you so sure?” Fury asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Just trust me on this one,” Arthur said with a knowing smile. “They wouldn’t reveal themselves at the base and cause a proper ruckus. They need to stay hidden, don’t they? And their real target is Vers here. If nothing unexpected happens, your colleagues will be perfectly fine.”

Fury seemed somewhat consoled, but still uneasy. “Where to now?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Louisiana,” Vers replied, her eyes fixed on the horizon. “I need some answers.”

“Maria Rambeau?” Fury guessed, recalling the name from Lawson’s files.

“Yes,” Vers confirmed. “According to that file, she was Lawson’s friend… and mine. Maybe she has answers.” She looked towards Fury. “Where exactly is Louisiana?”

“Due east,” Fury instructed. “Hang a right at Memphis.”

The aircraft banked smoothly, changing course towards the humid air of the American South.

—

Light-years away aboard the Helion, Yon-Rogg stood before the holographic projection of Ronan the Accuser, his expression carefully neutral despite the tension in the air.

“Ronan,” he acknowledged respectfully.

“The Accusers completed their operation,” Ronan stated, his blue face stern beneath its dark paint, “but the greater mission was a failure, thanks to your team.”

“It was a trap,” Yon-Rogg explained, “to lure our operative Vers to Torfa and kidnap her.”

“Give us their location,” Ronan demanded. “We’ll take care of the terrorist threat.”

“By bombing them out of the galaxy?” Yon-Rogg retorted, barely concealing his disdain. “No, we’ll handle this.”

“A cell of Skrulls anywhere is a threat to Kree everywhere,” Ronan insisted. “Where are they?”

“They are—” Yon-Rogg began.

“On C-53 with Vers, who has gone rogue,” Minn-Erva interrupted, stepping into view beside Yon-Rogg. Her cold eyes met his briefly before turning back to Ronan. “With the Skrull leader, Talos. She’s abandoned her mission and is now collaborating with the locals and possibly the Skrulls. Our commander has been… reluctant to report this development.”

Yon-Rogg’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t contradict her.

“Is this true?” Ronan demanded.

“She is… temporarily lost,” Yon-Rogg managed, his voice tight. “Confused by Skrull manipulation. But recoverable. I will bring her back into alignment.”

“Do so, or we will destroy the planet with her,” Ronan threatened before cutting the transmission.

As the hologram flickered out, Yon-Rogg turned on Minn-Erva.

“What did you think you were doing?” he demanded.

“I fulfilled my duty to the Empire and the Supreme Intelligence,” she replied coldly. “Your personal attachment to the weapon has blinded you, Commander. She is compromised.”

“You don’t comprehend her potential!” Yon-Rogg shot back. “That power, properly guided, could secure Kree dominance for centuries! We need her!”

“But she comes with risk,” Minn-Erva countered. “Once she restores her memory, which there’s a high chance she has by being back home, she would become one of our enemies. Do you want that power unleashed on the Kree empire?”

“The Supreme Intelligence agrees with my decision. Maintain course for C-53,” Yon-Rogg ordered the navigator. Despite everything, he clung to the hope that he could reach Carol first, reason with her, reinforce the conditioning before Ronan’s brutal solution became the only option.

—

Back on Earth, Arthur had no idea that his interference had caused some shift in the events. The Kree were moving faster than in the original timeline, with Ronan possibly appearing earlier than expected to escalate the situation beyond what he was prepared for.

The unaware Arthur’s focus was on the approaching Louisiana landscape visible through the cockpit window – lush greenery replacing the desert sands.

They landed in a large field near a modest farmhouse with an aircraft hangar nearby. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the grass as they disembarked.

A woman in overalls was working on an aircraft engine in the open hangar, while a young girl around eleven years old played nearby. At the sound of their approach, both looked up.

“Excuse me,” Vers called out as they approached, “I’m looking for Maria Rambeau.”

The young girl stared at Vers, her eyes widening in shock and recognition.

“Auntie Carol?” she whispered, her voice trembling. Then she broke into a full sprint, launching herself at Carol. “Mom! Mom, it’s Auntie Carol! She’s back!”

The girl hugged Carol fiercely. “I knew it!” she exclaimed, tears welling up. “Everyone said you were dead! They lied! I knew you weren’t dead!”

Vers stood awkwardly, unsure how to respond “I… I’m not really who you think I am,” she murmured, though the words lacked conviction even to her own ears.

The woman—Maria—approached slowly, her expression a complex mixture of shock, disbelief, and cautious hope.

After stilted introductions, Maria invited them inside. Fury was eager to learn more about Carol Danvers’ past, while Vers seemed both eager and apprehensive to discover her true identity.

Arthur, who had been quiet through much of the exchange, hung back as the group moved toward the house.

“You coming?” Vers asked, noticing his hesitation.

“I think I’ll stay out here for a bit,” Arthur replied, gesturing vaguely around the property. “It’s been a rather exhausting day, hasn’t it? I fancy a bit of fresh air to clear my head. You lot go on and chat. I’ll just take a kip under that lovely shade tree over there.”

“Not curious about our alien friend’s story?” Fury asked suspiciously.

“Not so alien anymore, is she?” Arthur replied with a knowing smile. “And I’ve already sussed out most of it, haven’t I? Besides, I reckon they’ll need the space to process everything. Bit personal, all this.”

Fury nodded, but his curiosity won out and he still followed the others inside.

Vers hesitated, looking back at Arthur. “Don’t… wander off too far. Or get into trouble.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Arthur assured her with a small smile. “Go on, then. Find out who you really are, Carol Danvers.”

As the others disappeared into the house, Arthur circled the property slowly. While he genuinely needed some rest, that wasn’t the real reason he’d stayed back. He remained outside because he didn’t fancy witnessing the emotional and touching moments he knew were about to unfold inside. He’d never been good with that sort of thing—genuine human connection had always made him feel awkward and out of place.

So while the others sorted through Carol’s past, he wandered around the property, keeping an eye out for the visiting Skrulls he knew would arrive soon to set the next series of events in motion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep