Ra-One, spotting Carol's crestfallen face as her trust in Yon-Rogg crumbled, did what any 10-year-old Red Hood would: he wrapped her in a bear hug, patting her back like a pro therapist. "There, there, Vers. The universe sucks, but you've got me Red Hood on your side."
Carol, stunned by the kid's warmth, melted into the embrace, feeling oddly comforted by his pint-sized pep talk.
"Vers! Red! Where you at?"Nick Fury's voice echoed through the Pegasus records room. He ducked behind a filing cabinet as SHIELD agents stormed in.
Ra-One and Carol overheard two agents—Phil Coulson and a woman—chatting nearby. The woman hissed, "Fury's colluding with the target. Orders are to take him, dead or alive."
Phil, confused, muttered, "Then why'd he call us in?"
Ra-One and Carol exchanged glances, searched and then spotted Fury cornered by agents.
Ra-One launched into action, a blur of Red Hood fury. He kicked and punched with lightning precision, dropping ten agents like they were cardboard cutouts.
Grabbing a stunned Fury and Carol, he bolted for the aircraft hangar.
They ran into Phil, who, trusting his gut, let them pass with a nod.
At the hangar, Ra-One spied a sleek rocket plane with miniature engines. His Intuitive Genius kicked in, decoding the controls in seconds.
As agents fired, Ra-One gunned the engines, zooming out at breakneck speed, bullets pinging off the hull.
In the sky, Fury gaped. "Red, you took down trained agents like nothing and flew a rocket ship like it's a PlayStation game. Who are you?" Carol leaned in, equally curious.
Ra-One grinned under his mask. "Born a genius, adopted by a guy named Bruce. He trained me in secret for years. Got bored, ditched training, hid in a Blockbuster, and then Vers crash-landed. Here we are."
Fury and Carol blinked, skeptical but impressed. The mask, the skills, the paranoia—it screamed elite mentor.(Batman Prodigy)
Fury asked, "Where to?" Carol, clutching the Pegasus record and Ra-One stole the Dr lawson experiment book for future reference, said, "Maria Rambeau. She knows what really happened."
Ra-One piloted to Louisiana, parking the plane in a jungle near Rambeau's house.
Meanwhile, aboard Yon-Rogg's Kree ship, Ronan the Accuser, a planet-busting warlord, grilled him about Carol's "kidnapping."
Yon-Rogg, hating Ronan's bomb-first vibe, lied: "No clue where Vers is." He cut the call and ordered his pilot to stay on course for C-53 (Earth).
At Rambeau's, Carol spotted her friend fixing a plane while a little girl played nearby.
Ra-One, rocking a SHIELD cap, swaggered up. "Miss Rambeau, special delivery from Planet Hala! Sign here, here, and here—no refunds!"
Rambeau froze, then saw Carol. "Auntie Carol!" the girl squealed, hugging her.
Rambeau pinched herself, half-convinced she was dreaming.
Carol and Rambeau dove into old memories, Fury played with the girl and Goose the cat, and Ra-One stood guard outside, senses sharp.
His Superior Sense pinged—movement in the woods. Smirking, Ra-One sauntered in. "Come out, no need to be shy!"
Four Skrulls emerged, nervous. "Ready to get your asses whooped?"
Ra-One taunted. Talos, their leader, raised his hands. "We come in peace, Red Demon. I just want to talk to Vers."
Ra-One, reading Talos's micro-expressions with Kinetic Memory, sighed. "Talos, you're with me. Rest of you, stay put."
Ra-One marched Talos into the house. "Guys, look what I found! Cute, right? Can we keep him?"
Fury drew his gun, Carol's hands glowed, and Rambeau shielded her daughter.
Ra-One waved them off. "Chill, Talos wants to chat, not scrap. Spill it, green guy."
Talos, eyeing Ra-One warily, said, "We Skrulls aren't here to fight you or the Red Demon kid, who's definitely not human."
Ra-One and Carol snapped, "Hey, we're human!"
Talos flinched as Goose hissed, muttering, "Flerken!"
Fury and Carol laughed. Talos ignored them, pulling out a black box recording from a plane crash six years ago.
Rambeau, shocked, said, "Where did you get that last I heard it was destroyed!"
Talos smirked. "Shapeshifting, remember young lady?"causing rambeau last out on him for calling her young lady.
Ra-One, grinning, cut in, "Talos, never call a lady 'young.' Respect her as Grandma."
Rambeau, furious, lunged at Ra-One, who sidestepped her effortlessly. "Grandma, I'm all for equality. Ask Vers—I beat a 'grandma' Skrull on a metro!"
Using Rambeau's computer, they played the black box. Carol's and Lawson's voices filled the room, triggering Carol's memories.
Six years ago, they flew a core-powered jet, hit by a Kree ship. Lawson, wounded, revealed she was Mar-Vell, fighting an unjust war. Yon-Rogg shot her, and Carol destroyed the core, absorbing its blue energy.
Yon-Rogg whisked her to Hala for experiments. Enraged, Carol realized she'd been manipulated, killing Skrull refugees on Torfa for the Supreme Intelligence.
Talos explained, "Mar-Vell helped us build a light-speed engine to escape the Kree and find a home. We need the Decoded coordinates she gave you to locate the core."
Ra-One squinted. "Talos, you're not just after the core. You've got family there, don't you?"
Talos, stunned, nodded. "My wife and child are trapped at that location. We just want a home." Moved, the group agreed to help.
Carol clarified, "Those weren't coordinates—they're state vectors for orbital position and velocity."
Talos cursed. "My science guy missed that. We've been searching Earth for nothing!"
Ra-One clapped. "Talos, we need a ride to that location to save your family and grab the core. Vers' Kree pals are coming, so Rambeau, take your kid and skip town."
Talos said, "My useless science guy can mod the plane for space."
Ra-One smirked. "Then let's rescue the Skrulls!" He and the Skrull scientist tore into the aircraft like manic engineers, swapping genius ideas and high-fiving, making everyone's eyes roll.
Rambeau and her daughter left, and Ra-One pinned a note to the door: "Found out everything. I'm coming for you. —Carol" for any Kree visitors.
With Ra-One as pilot, Carol as copilot, and Talos, Fury, and Goose as passengers, the modded plane roared into space.
Ra-One whooped, "Space, here I come!"
—To Be Continued—