The sky was burning.
As the Commodore's hull shuddered under the Nova Corps' plasma barrage, warning lights turned the cabin crimson. Valkyrie gritted her teeth, pulling at the controls as the ship spiraled downward. "Hold on!" she shouted, the thrusters whining in protest. "We're going back to Earth whether we like it or not!"
Khan, her hands glowing with Noor energy, frantically worked the console beside her. "I can stabilize the left engine—maybe buy us a few minutes!" She yelled, her voice trembling as sparks burst from the wiring. She poured everything she had into a desperate shield, the Noor energy dancing like golden lightning across the panels.
"Brace yourselves!" Zemo barked, gripping the railing as debris rained from the ceiling. Jimmy Woo tried to pull Kamala back from the sparking controls, but she refused to move, sweat dripping down her brow. "We're not dying here," she muttered, defiant. "Not after everything."
A blinding flash rocked the ship. The Commodore's core detonated.
The explosion tore through the hull like a roaring storm—but before it could consume them, Kamala threw her arms outward. A massive Noor sphere burst into existence, encapsulating the group in shimmering golden light. The shockwave rolled past them, scattering the debris of the Commodore into the void.
Outside the sphere, the stars vanished as they hurtled toward Earth. The Noor barrier flickered under reentry heat, the edges melting away. "We're falling too fast!" Valkyrie shouted, her voice echoing within the golden cocoon.
"I can't slow it!" Khan cried. "Just—hold on to something!"
They streaked across the sky like a comet, the ocean below growing larger and larger. Alarms from Yelena's wrist communicator blared, warning of terminal velocity. Death Dealer clutched the unconscious Blade Knight, while Katy held tight to Shang-Chi's arm.
And then—silence.
A strange red-orange glow appeared below them, swirling like a mystic sigil. Before the sphere could crash into the ocean, golden portals expanded in midair, wrapping around them.
A sudden pull—and the group vanished.
•••
My gaze shifted skyward, and I caught sight of Kamala's Noor sphere—a glowing dome she had conjured back on the Raft—enveloping the remaining survivors. The sphere shimmered brilliantly as it moved, but then it vanished through what looked like a familiar portal—the kind Kamar-Taj uses for interdimensional travel.
Shalltear tilted her head, curiosity mixing with her usual cold demeanor. "Did they succeed?" she murmured, voice barely above the crackle of flames.
I shook my head, eyes following the last remnants of fire trailing from the falling debris. "From the looks of it… they didn't," I replied. My system would have notified me if they had succeeded. The absence of any alert confirmed my suspicion.
I let my gaze drop to my own inventory, remembering the tasks I'd just completed. It was time to check my rewards.
My system interface flickered to life, displaying the latest quest updates.
Quest #2: Get involved with a lady from this planet
Objective: Build a meaningful connection with a local female.
The display listed two names:
[Female 1: Kate Bishop]
[Female 2: Yelena Belova]
[Reward: Will be added to after completing first quest.]
I frowned briefly. Wait… I didn't sleep with Yelena. And yet, the system doesn't specify that a meaningful connection requires… that, I thought with mild amusement.
Scrolling down, I found the results for the last major engagement:
Quest Reward:
[Quest Reward: +250 Quest Coins—Target Eliminated: Namor (Zombified)]
[Zombie Hive Connection Severed]
[Network Node Destroyed]
[+45.50 Quest Coins Acquired]
I exhaled slowly, a small smile forming. "At least something positive came from all that chaos," I muttered to myself. The world was still a mess, but the objectives were being ticked off one by one.
Shalltear, sensing my satisfaction, approached, her usual grace making her movements almost ghostlike. "What's our next step, my lord?"
I turned to her, eyes narrowing slightly as a plan began to form. "Shalltear… It's time to head to Kamar-Taj."
~~~