Ra-One, still buzzing from his metro brawl with the Skrull, clutched a glowing blue crystal he'd swiped from the alien's pocket.
"Peacekeeping, my ass," he muttered, handing it to Carol Danvers outside the metro station.
"Vers, what's this shiny rock do?" Carol, sipping her mango Slurpee, scanned it with her gauntlet computer.
"Memory Crystal, Skrull tech. Stores memories data like a cosmic USB." Her screen flickered, revealing images: Dr. Wendy Lawson, a scientist, and a Black woman posing at a bar called Pancho's.
"We need to find that bar," Carol said, eyeing Ra-One.
"Ideas, Red Hood?" Ra-One, mask glinting in the LA sunrise, grinned.
"Follow me, Alien Queen." He led her to a grimy internet cafe, where his Omni-Linguist skill decoded the dial-up chaos. A quick search pinpointed Pancho's Bar in California, not far from LA.
They stepped outside, studying a map, when a leather-clad motorcyclist wolf-whistled at Carol.
Ra-One's eyes narrowed, and he unleashed a lion-like growl, his mimicry so feral the guy bolted into a shop, tripping over his own ego.
"Vers, let's borrow a motorcycle," Ra-One said, smirking.
"But ditch the Kree cosplay first." Carol rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I'm driving. You're backseat." Ra-One's lewd grin made her backtrack.
"Nope, you drive. I'll hang on." Carol swapped her suit for a tight leather jacket and jeans, and Ra-One hot-wired a sleek bike.
He gunned it down the highway at breakneck speed, weaving through traffic like a caffeinated stuntman.
Carol, clinging to his waist, yelped, "SLOW DOWN, KID!" Ra-One just laughed, wind whipping his red mask.
They screeched to a halt at Pancho's Bar, a dive with neon signs and questionable hygiene.
Carol adjusted her stiff limbs, glaring. "Where'd you learn to drive like that?"
Ra-One struck a pose. "Taught by a red-masked guy. Am I not awesome?"
Carol muttered, "You're a menace."
Inside, the bar smelled of stale beer and regret. Carol's eyes caught a photo on the wall—an aircraft with a Pegasus logo. Her fragmented memories stirred.
She grilled the owner, "Where's this from?" Before he could answer, Nick Fury strolled in, head bandaged from his Skrull-car-crash fiasco.
"That's classified," he said, eyeing Carol's new outfit. "Nice wardrobe change since Blockbuster."
Ra-One high-fived the air. "Fury, my man! Rough day? That head wound screams 'Skrull partner betrayal.' I knew that fake Coulson was sus—didn't even flinch when Vers photon-blasted a building!"
Fury's eye twitched. "Cool story, kid. Space invasion, car chase, alien autopsy—typical Tuesday."
Carol squinted. "How do we know you're not a Skrull?"
Fury smirked. "I'm 100% red-blooded human. Want a mouth swab or a piss test?"
Ra-One cut in, grinning wickedly. "No need for bodily fluids. What color's your underwear?"
Fury and Carol choked, but Fury, recovering, launched into his credentials: SHIELD agent, high clearance, external threats specialist.
Carol pounced. "High clearance? Where's Project Pegasus?"
Fury sighed, motioning them to his car. "Road trip time."
In Fury's beat-up sedan, he quizzed Carol on Skrulls and Kree.
She explained: Skrulls infiltrate, then conquer; Kree warriors like her protect the galaxy.
Ra-One leaned forward. "Vers, who's calling the shots? Your top dog?"
Fury nodded, impressed. "Good question, kid."
Carol frowned. "The Supreme Intelligence, a sentient AI governing our planet."
Ra-One and Fury exchanged a look, their tactical bro-nod screaming sus.
Carol caught it. "What's with the shady vibes? Spill!"
Ra-One smirked. "Nick, I bet $100 Vers was kidnapped, experimented on, and brainwashed by this AI into being a pawn for its dirty work."
Fury shook his head. "No bet. My gut says you're 80% right." He glanced at Ra-One. "What's with the mask, kid? Real name?"
Ra-One scoffed. "Nope. My mother told me never trust Men in black suits, they kidnap families or wipe memories. I know your game, Nick. Call me Red Hood."
Fury snapped, "It's Fury." Ra-One grinned. "Nah, Nick suits you."
Carol fumed. "You two could be arrested in the Kree galaxy for dissing the Supreme Intelligence! I'm no pawn!"
Ra-One chuckled. "Answer this, Starforce: Got any brain-control devices? Can you use your photon blasts without one? And… any childhood memories?"
Carol froze. She had a device regulating her powers and zero childhood recall. Doubt crept in.
Fury, silent, drove them to Project Pegasus, a NASA-USAF facility hidden in a mountain tunnel. He handed out SHIELD-logo caps to blend in.
Officers checked Fury's ID but eyed Ra-One's mask.
Ra-One saluted, voice crisp. "Intern in progress, sir. SHIELD protocol: kid interns stay anonymous." His soldier vibes and perfect posture sold it.
Fury and Carol gaped as the officers nodded.
"Kid's got game," Fury muttered.
Fury demanded, "We need Dr. Wendy Lawson." The officers, suspicious, detained them in an office, claiming "higher authority" approval.
Ra-One, bored after 15 minutes, pulled a pin from his pocket and tinkered with the fingerprint-locked door. His Intuitive Genius cracked it in seconds.
He turned to Fury and Carol, whose jaws hit the floor. "What? Records room, 511, fifth floor. Let's move." He saw the facility Map on the room
Fury paged Phil Coulson for backup. In the elevator, they met Goose, a cat Carol felt oddly familiar with. Another fingerprint lock blocked room 511.
Carol vaporized it with a silent photon blast. Inside, they rifled through files.
Carol found light-speed engine blueprints; Fury uncovered Lawson's notes in Kree script. Coulson pinged Fury, who stepped out to meet him.
Carol, studying a plane crash file, felt a memory stir. Ra-One slid her a photo: Lawson, Maria Rambeau, and a male pilot. He pointed at a woman entering a jet— with Carol's face.
Her eyes widened. "That's… me."
Ra-One's smug grin could've powered a city.
Her memories flickered, doubt surging. She called Yon-Rogg, 80% suspicious. "What's is a kree doing on C-53 planet? What was her Lawson mission? Why I have Lawson memory? "
Yon-Rogg, spooked, fed her half-truths: "Mar-Vell, aka Lawson, was a Kree agent working on an energy core to crush the Skrulls. Skrulls messed with your head you were never there."
Fury, back from meeting his boss at the facility entrance, grew wary when the boss called him "Nicholos" instead of "Fury." Suspecting a Skrull, he gave fake directions, ditched him in the elevator, and bolted to the records room.
Carol pressed Yon-Rogg. "Was I on C-53 before? Did I know Lawson?" He denied it, urging her to focus on her training. "We'll be there soon." Her faith in him crumbled to 20%.
Ra-One's words rang truer. Disappointed, she stared at the photo, her past unraveling.
—To Be Continued—