SHIELD Deputy Director Maria Hill and Captain Marvel investigate an artifact found on the moon. Soon after, another galactic threat presents itself.
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Aboard a SHIELD space station, Captain Carol Danvers, now showered and dressed down from her encounters on and near the moon, joined SHIELD Deputy Director Maria Hill. The women stood in a viewing area.
Below them in a laboratory, scientists in radiation gear poked and prodded the metal box Danvers had recovered on the moon. She’d found the box when SHIELD scientists had detected an anomalous energy emission.
It came from near the spot where, hours before, SHIELD satellites had found a super-powered teenaged girl, one Kara Zor-El.
“Doesn’t look as impressive after you dig it out of the moon,” Danvers said while looking down at the box. It was about the size of a mid-sized moving box. Circuitry covered the box, giving it the appearance of a cube-shaped microchip.
There was no discernable way to open it if it was even that type of box.
“So what do the eggheads think it is?” Danvers asked.
Hill glanced at Danvers. There was a hint of disdain in her expression. Danvers wasn’t sure if it came from her use of the word “eggheads,” which Hill had always hated as a sign of disrespect.
The disdain also could come from Danvers’s choice of United States Air Force t-shirt and jeans. Danvers suddenly felt conscious about the informality of the outfit, but dammit she was off-duty.
Then again, she’d often found that one was never really off-duty with SHIELD.
Looking back to the box and the scientists working on it, Hill said, “They’re not sure. All they’ve found so far is that it has a constant, non-lethal energy emission of a type we can’t identify.”
“Then how do we know it isn’t lethal?” Danvers asked.
“Because when you dug it out of the moon without protective gear, you didn’t die,” Hill said matter-of-factly.
“Yet,” Danvers countered.
Hill ignored the comment. “They’ve linked that energy to a burst registered about the time the girl calling herself Kara Zor-El first appeared up on the moon.”
“Leaning toward some kind of teleportation device then?” Danvers asked.
“That or dimensional travel,” Hill replied.
Danvers was surprised. “We can do that?”
Hill looked to Danvers. When she spoke, she didn’t hide her frustration with the super-powered Air Force captain. “You really need to keep up with the weekly briefings.”
Off Danvers’s blank look, Hill added, “Zor-El can fly, but I bet it’s a long way home. Did you see a spaceship, captain?”
Danvers shrugged. “Point taken. So what’s next?”
Suddenly, yellow lights bathed the laboratory and viewing area. A second later, Danvers and the other SHIELD agents in the lab heard station commander Abigail Brand’s voice over the intercom.
“Director Hill, Captain Danvers. Come to command immediately.”
Hill and Danvers exchanged worried looks, then dashed to the station’s command center. The room looked like a much smaller version of the command center back at the Triskelion where General Fury lorded over SHIELD.
Must be some connection between command and architecture, Danvers thought.
The women approached Brand, who stood in front of a bank of video monitors.
Brand sized up Danvers. “Looking good, Danvers,” she said with a curious tone. Before Danvers could decide if it was a compliment, rebuke or flirtation, Hill cut in, asking for a situation report.
“A few minutes ago,” Brand began, “we picked up another burst of that energy anomaly we detected from that box.” Brand pointed to the monitors. “Then we started seeing those things.”
Danvers saw what Brand referred to but moved in for a closer look.
Up close, she still didn’t believe what her eyes took in.
On the monitor was a tube extending into the far reaches of space. Its opening hovered over the moon. Hundreds of humanoid robots with demonic wings and faces flew out of the tube.
If there was any question about their intent, the staves with glowing energy on their business end answered that.
More of the things appeared every second.
“That’s an invasion force,” Danvers said.
“Presumably from wherever that Kara Zor-El came from,” Hill added.
“SOP is to jam other satellites from seeing this,” Brand said. “We feed their signal with an image of empty space, so there won’t be a panic planetside.”
“We can do that?” Danvers said in astonishment.
Hill looked at her as she were a child. “We’re SHIELD,” she answered. To Brand, she asked, “And we’re not on red alert because?”
“General Fury advised caution until he can consult with his contact to Zor-El. He hopes she can call those things off without having to engage.”
“And if not?” Danvers asked.
Hill looked at the monitor. A hundred more of the things had appeared through the cosmic tube. “I’d suit up if I were you,” Hill suggested.
As she turned back to the monitors, she added, “Fury would never permit wearing jeans in command anyway.”
Danvers knew Hill wouldn’t let her outfit slide without saying something.
To be continued…
While writing this fanfiction, I used Green Ronin’s Mutants and Masterminds, 3rd Edition RPG, to leave some things to chance. Check it out!
Like this fanfiction? Check out Mark’s original “Shadowdance” saga books!
Author’s Note:
The characters Maria Hill, Captain Marvel/ Carol Danvers, SHIELD, Abigail Brand and Nick Fury are Copyright Marvel Comics
The characters Superman/ Clark Kent/ Kal-El, Supergirl/ Kara Zor-El, Darkseid, Maggie Sawyer, Solomon Grundy and Parademons are Copyright DC Comics
None of the characters belong to me as this is fanfiction, done for fun and as a creative exercise
