Continued from here part 3

The Shi'Ar Aerie

The four arrived along with the Traveler and looked out a large transparent wall on a few hundred destroyed war ships and fighters floating around the Aerie. The Traveler gave a nod, "Lass wasn't exaggerating."

He then turned, "On with the search."

The group hadn't gone five steps when Casey was hit with a beam and disappeared. All but the Traveler looked stunned when the large group of Shi'Ar guards surrounded them. They cleared a path as Emperor Kallark stepped through. He looked past the group to the Traveler, "Come with me."

As the two stepped away Kallark looked to the guards, "Take the rest to my throne room, and keep an eye on them."

***

Aerie, prison level.

Casey appeared in the beam in a large corridor, she could hear the chaos from the prison riot currently going on. She turned to see a pair of frightened guards, "Where am I?"

"The prison, the rebel forces infiltrated us and incited a prisoner revolt."

Several men ran down the corridor to them. The first didn't hesitate to swing the pipe he carried at Casey's head. It bent as it connected, she instinctively punched him in the face sending him flying through the ranks of prisoners. He crashed into a large stone skinned man and dropped. The guards shook at the site as they stammered into their comms, "The Kronans are free."

The crowd moved aside as the four Kronan warriors walked toward Casey. The largest of them stopped before her, "Today, you have the misfortune of meeting the great Braga in combat. If you surrender I will make your death quick."

Casey was nervous, not sure what to do. Without thinking she struck him hard in the gut. The prisoners were shocked as Braga bent over with a gasp. She then grabbed his arm and swung him over her shoulder to the floor. The other Kronans charged but she leaped over them. She then kicked one in the back of the knee shattering it then drove an elbow into the back of his neck.

She then grabbed him and used him as a club to swat away his two comrades. Braga came back to attack again but Casey punched him in the jaw, knocking him into the ceiling. She had a burst of confidence and took a swing at another prisoner. The confidence diminished when he caught her hand. He then changed form revealing himself to be a large skrull.

His hands turned to stone resembling the skin of the Kronans. He yanked her into the air and looked her in the eye, "I am K'lut, last son of K'lrt. I will not fall so easy."

***

Kallark walks along a hall beside the Traveler, "I must admit, I've been looking forward to meeting you. I'v heard many things. My Kree allies say you are a warrior and a hero. The Skrull call you a trickster. A liar, a cheat and a thief."

The Traveler grinned, "Which do you believe?"

"A man from Earth once told me, if you wish to know the truth of a man ask his friends and his enemies and find a place in between the opinions."

The Traveler shrugged, "All you need to know is that I'll do what ever I have to."

"For what purpose?"

He grinned again.

***

Mary, Steve and Barry sat under guard in the throne room. Steve was holding off panic, "We're all going to die, just like Casey."

Mary jammed an elbow into his side, "We don't know if she's dead. If that beam were destructive there would have been heat or ash or some kind of remnants. It was more likely a teleporter of some kind, she'll find us just keep it together."

Barry put a hand on his shoulder, "She's right, the chick is tough. I'm sure she can handle anything this place throws at her."

***

Casey crashed through a wall as K'Lut hovered above her with flames covering him, "I'm impressed, that strike would have killed an average Kree. Pink or not."

She glared up, "I'm not a Kree."

She then leaped toward him and punched him in the face. Unfortunately she was met with an invisible force field. He then moved the field and bound it around her hands and feet and held her in the air, "Don't tell me I actually get to kill a human all the way out here."

He moved to strike her but as she struggled the field broke and she belted him in the jaw. He crashed to the ground. She then grabbed him by the leg and pulled him toward her but he changed into the form of a giant serpent and wrapped around her trying to crush her but she had no give.

She glared at his face, "I'm indestructible, you ugly lizard."

She then yanked herself free and grabbed his throat. He tried changing into several different forms trying to escape. Then he tried to to force her hand off but it was useless. He then grinned for a second before seeming to disappear.

As he dropped he thought himself clever before he noticed he was trapped in a small metal container. Casey bent a metal plate over the top and squeezed it shut. She then chuckled, "You should pay better attention."

By this time Shi'Ar soldiers had brought the riot back to order and she handed the container holding K'Lut to a guard, "I need to get back to my friends."

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a metal object, she realized it was identical to the devices the Traveler had found on Earth. She picked it up and dropped it in her pocket as the guard spoke, "There are three other Earthlings in the throne room. Emperor Kallark has ordered us to take you there."

***

The Emperor and the Traveler stood before the door to the throne room, "Before we continue, may I ask. Why them? There are more powerful people on Earth."

The Traveler shook his head, "That would be telling."

He then noticed Casey approaching. She handed him the device, "Three down, four to go."

He smiled as she walked in and gave a wave to the rest of the group. Mary looked to Steve, "Told ya so."

(To be continued)