EVERMORE ─ marvel

XIII. Hala

Chapter Thirteen
Jade

Hala is beautiful. At first glance it kinda reminds me of New York City, but the buildings are far taller and made of a metal I've never seen before, sturdy and bronze in color. When the sun reflects off these buildings they shine and glisten just like the oceans on Earth do. Blue holograms and lights decorate the city, as do many Kree ships, just like the ones currently attacking Earth. We didn't expect many Kree to still be on Hala, but there are enough to possibly cause a problem for us.

"There usually aren't guards outside the Supreme Intelligence building, but I suspect there will be some with the army off world," Kieran says as we soar amongst the glittering buildings. "I'll stay outside and fend them off long enough for you two to blow the Supreme Intelligence to smithereens."

"Are the Supreme Intelligence in the whole building or is there some place we need to get into and blow up?" I dare to ask.

Carol and Kieran share an unspoken conversation before Carol answers: "The Supreme Intelligence are apart of the entire building, but we need to connect to them in order to kill them for good."

"Connect to them?"

"When you enter the building, the Supreme Intelligence hooks into your mind, bringing you into a plain of existence that they are at their most powerful and most vulnerable."

"Won't we die if we kill the Supreme Intelligence with our minds attached?" I ask.

Carol stares at me for a long moment before answering: "There's only one way to find out."

I had suspected I may not make it out of this. That's why I chose to say goodbye to Sam while I had to chance. If I am truly going to meet my end here on Hala, I wish I could have had just a little bit more time on Earth. I wish I could have said goodbye to my friends, my family. I wish I could have kissed Sam one last time, felt his hands wrapped around mine one last time. I guess it's enough to know my actions here will save him and everyone else I love.

It's enough to know that amidst all the wrong I've done, all the people I've killed, the lives I've ruined, I'll die doing something right.

Carol standing up brings me from my thoughts. "Ready?"

I nod. "Let's finish this."

Kieran brings the ship down in front of a triangular building with what must be about a hundred steps leading up to it. Instead of the bronze metal the other buildings are made up, this building is made up of what looks like an gold tinted glass. There's a certain unnatural, cold air around this place. It kinda feels like how a church feels. Right above the entrance is a large metal star, with a golden glow around the edges, just like the one on Kieran's uniform. Surrounding the entrance are stone claw like structures, making me feel like I'm being trapped as Carol and I enter the building. Kieran waits outside, her sword out, her body tense. When she looks over her shoulder at me, she gives me an encouraging nod. It doesn't help me feel any better. If anything it makes me even more nervous.

For such a large building, its astonishing how small the inside is. A hallway, that's all that's inside this building. Stone archways are on either side of this hallway, and it leads to a large area bathed in gold light from the stained glass built into the wall. On the ground is a gold hexagon with a blue center. Carol gestures for me to step on it with her, and once we do, the blue in the hexagon begins to move up towards us, crawling up our legs like a living creature.

I flinch, instinct telling me to step away, but I stand my ground. I look at Carol and find her eye closed, so I do the same, feeling the blue substance continue to crawl up my body until it reaches my head. As the blue substance presses against my temple, I feel as if I'm riding down the arch of a rollercoaster, like my whole body is sinking. This feeling only lasts a moment though, and when it goes away, I force myself to open my eyes. What I see I hadn't expected.