The city of the Skrulls was filled with cries of terror as the Brood swarmed through the streets. Though their numbers were not overwhelming, these creatures were far beyond the capability of ordinary Skrulls to resist. Overhead, a massive, monstrous insect loomed, its many eyes fixed hungrily upon the chaos below.
The Brood moved with terrifying efficiency, stabbing their twin stingers into their victims and laying eggs inside them. This was their gruesome means of reproduction—once infected, the hosts had no hope of survival.
The sight of her people being slaughtered filled the Skrull Queen with fury. In mere moments, they had lost hundreds more of their already dwindling population.
A maddening, high-pitched buzzing filled the air as the insects flapped their wings, launching themselves toward their prey.
In response, the Skrull Queen shifted her form, taking on the appearance of Bobby. Shards of razor-sharp ice materialized around her, the air turning deathly cold. With a precise wave of her hand, the icicles shot forward, impaling the oncoming Brood and pinning them to the walls and ground.
The mutant abilities of Bobby were wielded with expert precision, as if they were her own. However, Bobby himself noticed something odd—her powers lacked the usual aura of death he carried, and they were notably weaker than his own.
"That's your Queen! Support her! Kill those bugs!" Captain Alan barked, rallying his troops. Armed with weapons scavenged from the armory, they fought desperately to contain the swarm.
Most of the Skrulls in this city were civilians, only briefly trained in combat. Against these nightmarish creatures, their first instinct was to flee. But outrunning the airborne Brood on foot was impossible.
"Stay together! Grab weapons and fight!" The Skrull Queen tried to organize the panicked survivors, guiding them toward an escape route.
In a central square, Bobby conjured a zone of absolute cold, unleashing a Hungering Cold. The air was drained of all warmth, and the entire area froze over. Dozens of Brood were encased in ice, their twisted forms locked in a silent, chilling death.
Yet even after clearing nearly half the swarm, exhaustion was creeping over the Skrull Queen. And the monstrous creature above—the true threat—remained motionless, observing them with unsettling patience.
"Bobby, I need you to lead my people out of here," the Queen said firmly, her gaze filled with resolve. She had already accepted the likelihood that she would not survive this battle.
"Your Majesty, you are our last Super-Skrull! You can't—" Captain Alan started, but the Queen cut him off.
The Brood King had waited long enough. With a sickening screech, it lunged, its massive forelimbs slicing through the air toward the Queen and Bobby.
The two warriors reacted instantly, conjuring an Ice Barrier in unison. The shimmering wall of frost barely withstood the impact before shattering into countless shards, sending them staggering backward.
"GO! NOW!" the Queen ordered, her voice leaving no room for argument. Captain Alan had no choice but to obey.
"This way! Move!" he shouted, leading the civilians toward safety.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in their minds—deep, guttural, and laced with malice. "You won't escape, little morsels."
Bobby's eyes snapped upward. "Wait… was that you, big bug?"
The Brood King laughed, the sound like chitin scraping against bone. "Of course, insect."
Despite seeing the Skrulls flee, the Brood King made no effort to stop them. Instead, it relished the hunt. "I am the King of the Brood, and this world is our feeding ground. You are nothing but prey. Run, struggle—it only makes the feast more enjoyable."
Though its vocal cords could only produce hissing clicks, the Brood King communicated telepathically, its thoughts laced with cruel amusement.
The Queen exhaled in relief as the last of her people escaped. But she knew the battle was far from over.
"It seems I won't live to see Kallruth's arrival."
...
Elsewhere, Nebula had initially planned to leave with Garus. Perhaps she sought his protection, or perhaps her reasons were more personal. But before she could make her move, Gamora forcefully dragged her away. The bond between them was complicated—love and resentment intertwined—but deep down, Gamora still cared for her sister.
After parting ways, Garus, Kallruth, and Blonsky set course for the Andromeda Galaxy. Their ship soared through the cosmos, jumping from one wormhole to the next in search of the Skrull stronghold.
"This is it. Andromeda," Kallruth said, his voice tinged with both excitement and fear. He feared that the Skrulls here had already been wiped out—that all his efforts had been for nothing.
As they exited the final wormhole, an enormous gas giant loomed before them. Its atmosphere churned with violent lightning storms, making it clear that no life could survive there.
The Andromeda Galaxy, like the Milky Way, was vast—home to countless star systems and celestial bodies.
Garus frowned. "Kallruth, Andromeda is massive. How do you expect to find the Queen's location?"
Kallruth retrieved a small metallic sphere, which projected a sprawling star map before them.
"I found this by chance. The red-marked planet here—that's our destination."
Garus glanced at the star chart but saw nothing but a dizzying array of celestial bodies. Navigating it was hopeless.
After a brief pause, their ship streaked toward the marked location at full speed.
As Garus closed his eyes, meditating, he suddenly felt something—an unmistakable presence.
Bobby.
Stranger still, their ship was already heading in the same direction as Bobby's location. Coincidence? Unlikely.
Was Bobby with the Skrull Queen?
Another wormhole jump later, they emerged near a planet eerily similar to Earth.
Garus could feel it—Bobby's soul signature below. But his energy was drained, dangerously so.
"We're here. Down there!" Kallruth exclaimed, steering the ship into the atmosphere.
Below, they saw them. The swarm.
Countless Brood filled the skies, their grotesque forms writhing as they detected the approaching vessel. As if drawn to fresh prey, they surged toward the ship like a horde of ravenous beasts.
Yet the hull held firm. The Brood smashed against it but left not a single scratch.
Garus stepped forward. "I'm going down first. Blonsky, Kallruth—hold position."
Before they could protest, Garus raised his hand. A gateway of darkness burst open before him.
Death Gate.
And he stepped through.
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