Embers of the Phoenix Part 5 part 1

Chandilar, Throneworld of the Shi'ar Empire:

Royal Palace:

Lilandra:

Lilandra looked at the cage in a mix of disgust, horror and shame. The horror was attributed to her own society's hate and fear for the creature before her, disgust for the way she was being held and shame...for letting it happen.

The host of the Phoenix was bound, her arms chained above her head, held up a good three from the ground, her legs swinging freely. She was unconscious, blood pooling from her temple where a shallow cut was present, already slowly healing thanks to her inbuilt abilities.

Her clothes were unharmed, no altered in any way, but from what Lilandra heard, the damage was done. Which was way her shame kept screaming into her ears.

She was pregnant. D'Ken didn't say she was pregnant.

It was due any day now, which was why they even managed to capture her at all, if the general who she bribed was telling the truth. A pregnant woman and she was being held by her arms, her would not being tended to.

Was she hungry? Would she need liquids? Lilanda didn't know, does the Phoenix even eat normal food anyway? No...maybe...was she even mortal anymore? Lilandra didn't know.

"Beautiful isn't she?" came a voice Liliandra came to associate to fear, royalty, whoring and irresponsibility. She turned, and sure enough, there he was, her brother. Dressed in the silver of their empire, trailing behind him by the favorites of his harem and his son, Vulcan.

Lilandra bowed, "my Emperor."

"I swear, if she wasn't a fucking demon, I would have her for myself," D'Ken continued, stroking his french beard, igrnoing Lilandra's reply He had a wirethin frame, didn't look strong enough to do much more than open a door by himself, but he was very much on of the most powerful peopel in the galaxy.

"Well she is pregnant with another's babe my Emperor," one of the Emperor's more pretty queens spoke up, clearly seeing the challenge for what it was, "I doubt you would want such a filthy thing."

"Then the solution is simple, isn't it my dear? Just rip the babe up and feed her to the dogs," D'Ken smiled, laughing heartily, making the ones behind him to laugh as well, though the clear morbid horror in their faces were seen by all.

"She is beautiful my Emperor," Lilandra smiled, "tell me, if you do not wish to have her for you own, then what do you wish to do?"

"Kill the bitch of course," D'Ken snorte, acting as if the answer was too obvious to need a further explanation, "but not till after our allies and people are in attendance. It will need to be an event, to show that nothing, not even a cosmic force, will be able to stop the righteous fury of the Shi'ar Empire and our birthright to unite the universe under one banner. Lilandra," he turned to her, "I want you bringing our planet governors, I want everyone of them seeing what I'm going to do to the bitch. Vulcan, you will handle security, take Gladiator with you, understand boy?"

"Yes, my Emperor," Vulcan bowed, his eyes also going to the unconscious woman, a look the emperor caught.

D'Ken smiled, "don't worry, we;'ll get you a pretty redhead to keep you company, don't go expecting to lay with the demon bitch, won't do for someone of your station."

"I understand father, thank you," Vulcan bowed. Lilandra groaned, ever since the time in the battle with the Asgardians the prince had been acting strange...very strange. He didn't like it, he was hiding his feelings poorly but D'Ken, every absent minded father he is, clearly was too preoccupied to notice.

Lilandra spent the rest of the day getting all the guest list for the event ready. So many people to call, however one of them stood out to her, Queen Nyxa, which lead her to remember the Ember, Angela of Asgard...and the Spider.

Did her intelligence tell her the boy had a particular interest in the Phoenix? If they were right his first stop after leaving Xandar was to Prevro-2344, a planet the Phoenix visited last.

She pulled up the file her secret service had on him and studied it. The Avengers were a curious bunch, little more the mercenaries, but by the end of the file she realised on thing, she needed to talk to them...why she didn't know but she just did.

She left the planet that night, already on call with the Brooker, a known mediator for the Spider and his Avengers. When she did, Jean's eyes shot open, she smiled.

She didn't notice your mental probe.

'Yeah she didn't. She had some mental defence though, I doubt without your help I couldn't have had the energy to power through.'

Indeed, but still, the skill you took to manipulate her into searching for help...and you luck in finding her already familiar with your lover…

'Lovers,' Jean corrected her, 'both Felicia and Peter are here...I can't believe they are here, in space. Or that Peter made some kind of intergalactic space mercenary group. God that boy….' she couldn't help a smile from coming onto her face, 'they will come, I know they will...'

...Your hatchling will be born soon. You already have a name in mind yes?

'Yes...Hope.'

Nivadeviller:

Peter Parker:

I could do this. I had to do this. There was no ifs or buts. I had to do this.

They were ready, my weapons were ready. It took me almost two weeks, but they were ready. The gauntlets had thick slabs of metal on their forearms with a panel on the back of their hand and an encasing around each finger.

There were slits on them for my stingers, all three of them. The metals looked uru grey while the vibranium silver formed the underarm and moveable areas. They looked daunting, runes watched along the sides.

They were placed on a pedestal in such a way that they were opened up before me. Thor and Angela stood beside me, each silent. The dwarves stood behind me, everyone of them curious to see if my made invasion of dwarven technique and my own ingenuity would actually work.

"How will it feel?" I asked, turning to Eoffren.

"I don't really think I'm the best person to answer that lad," he said, motioning to Thor.

I turned to him, he nodded, "yes, well...its...glorious. This surge of lightning coursing through your veins. The power, it's magnificent."

"But he's a god, and your not," Angela put in, "you'll probably be in pain. A lot of pain."

"Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" I asked, glaring at said angel. She smirked, matching Thor's own smile. I guess those two are slowly getting along after all.

"The gauntlets should take a while to adapt to you Spider," Entri spoke up, stroking his beard, "they should, if your blasted enchantments haven't destroyed my original design," I shy away at his glare, "allow you to access your powers in full and keep you grounded."

"And if they can't?"

"Ha, as if that would even be possible," Entri snorted, "these things were designed with a god in mind boy, not a mortal, despite your magical energy manipulation."

"But if they can't?"

Entri sighed, shurgging, "then they'll do what the can and do it right. You won't die from it but...I suspect the princess is right. It will not be pleasant."

"It's alright if you don't' want to do this Peter," Thor spoke up, capping my shoulder, "most mortals cannot wield the weapon made by-"

"-Whatever it takes," I cut him off, walking forward and in one swift motion, plunging my arms into the gauntlets.

For a second, nothing, the oversized gauntlets just rest on their pedestals. I felt confused, did I miss something? I raise them up and looked them over, and then there was a click.

The gauntlets began to shrink down, the magic of the dwarves working to reduce the size until they fit my arms perfectly, almost as if they weren't there at all. And then, I felt it. Like a syringe being inserted into my very being to begin sucking out power.

The gauntlets began glowing blue as arcs of lightning came out of my body. I felt Thor's power inside of me react, charging my body and the gauntlets. And then, everything began to go white.

"Peter?! Pete-"

I felt my body explode with such energy, it felt like I was being torn apart on all sides. The magic of the gauntlets worked to save my life, I dropped to my knees and screamed. My blood boiling, my head cracking open.

Whatever it takes.

Heart of Arachno:

Felicia Hardy:

"Is this confirmed?" Susan asked Felicia.

Felicia nodded, "looks to be..."

"Fuck," Susan replied, leaning back, her eyes, and everyone else's, were glued to the message display on the screen before them.

Target 0001 has been captured. Returning to home base, requesting escort at locations 291-Alpha-183-J-O.

"When was this sent?" Logan asked, the first to recover from the shock.

"A day ago," Felicia replied, slamming her fist into the ground, "which means we're already late."

"Maybe not," Scott spoke up, "I've been in contact with Vulcan lately and from what I can tell if the Shi'ar Empier ever got their hands on Jean and killed her, then they wouldn't be silent, they would be throwing a fucking party. And they would probably invite us too."

"Then we still have time," Carol replied, pulling up a map of the solar system of the Shi'ar Empier's core system, "we need to move...where is Peter?"

Felicia sighed, "he's still with the dwarves. But...we can't wait for him. If Jean is still alive we need to go after right this minute."

"So what's the plan? We sneak in and free her?" Jessica asked.

Felicia froaned, "no, we can't be that blunt."

"We need to know exactly where they have her," Wanda spoke up, turning to Scott, "could you ask Vulcan? Would he be willing to help us?"

Scott was silent for a long time, everyone turned to him and waited, he sighed, "I can't trust that he won't betray us. We can't risk Jean's well being on him...we need to see if the Shi'ar Empire is making some movement, if they are making some grand gesture or something like that."

"I have a few contacts back on Knowhere," Gamora spoke up, "I'll get in touch with them."

"Yondu and the Ravagers might have heard something, but," Quill rubbed his neck nervously.

"Don't worry bub, me and the walking tree will back you up," Logan assured Quill, patting his back.

"I have a couple of scumbags who owe me," Rocket spoke up, "oye! Firebutt, you're coming with me! These ass clowns are Rotors!"

"And…?" Johnny blinked.

"Rotors dislike fire," Catrina helpfully supplied.

"Then Wanda, Sue and I will go to the Brokker," Felicia spoke up, "he still owes Peter a few favours and worse comes to, we can always bribe him, right Sue?"

Susan Storm nodded, "yeah...though knowing him..."

"We can always make more," Wanda replied, waving her concern.

"I'll stay here with Scott and prepare the troops," Carol volentured, "we're getting a sudden large collection of recruits, thanks to the Shi'ar Empire's recent invasion plans. We should be able to take on an armada now...with our powers assisting of course."

"We need to move people, we don't have much time, Jean doesn't have much time," Felicia looked at them all, everyone in this room knew, this was the apex of their journey, the final stretch. With resolute nodes they went their separate ways, all moving to the different corners of the world.

Nivadeviller:

"Throw him boy!" Entri cried out.

"But he'll die!" Thor roared as he and Angela pushed the increasing large ball of pure cosmic energy into the edge of the space station.

BOOM!

A roar of thunder danced out of the light, curled across the chamber and destroyed several feet of solid galactic steel. It melted the surfaces it touched, the only reason Thor and Angela were safe were thanks to the former's immunity to lightning and the latter's mastery of her own internal energy.

BOOM!

"If you don't, then we'll die!" Eoffren cried out, "Peter right now isn't normal! He's-he's changing, a chrysalis of power, raw energy! I doubt not breathing will deter him much! Do it Thor! Or we'll all suffer for it!"

Thor couldn't, he just couldn't. He understood the consequences of his actions, if he didn't, millions would die. But if he did, Peter would die. The small boy he met so many years ago, the man he now remembered as a war buddy with a child on the way. He couldn't.

Mjoner felt heavy in his hand, and he knew, he had no other choice. So he began to push. Angela's eyes widened, but she said nothing, knowing exactly what her brother was feeling. The two children of Odin pushed and pushed and with a mighty heave, threw the bright ball of energy into space.

It flew off, sparks of energy blasting off into the vacuum of space, raw energy, almost so thick one couldn't breath.

Thro dropped to his knees, his hands were burnt, lightning burns. His hair was singed and his armour had almost melted off him. Angela fared a little better, though her exposed skin was still raw from the energy.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Thor whispered, his eyes watering as he saw Peter's body float away, further and further away. He felt a hand on his shoulder, surprised to see Angela behind him. He was afraid she would leave, again, but instead she knelt beside him, wrapping her brother in her arms, holding him close.

"I am sorry you had to do that," she whispered.

"There was no other way," Thor replied, "there was no other way."

"I know...I know..."

Xandar:

The Brooker:

When Felicia, Wanda and Sue entered the Brooker's office on Xandar, he immediately activated the store's security system, bringing down the shutters on the window and bolting the door to the floor.

Felicia and the others grew alert, Wanda's eyes glowed, Felicia's fingers extended vibranium claws and Sue had a mental prob ready.

"A little jumpy there, aren't you Brooker?" Felicia asked, eye in the alien behind the counter.

"Apologise," the man smiled, "but I promise you, it's for a good reason. Recently a client of mind contacted me in an effort to contact you. Imagine my joy when finding you were also coming to contact me for the very same purpose!"

"Say what?" Sue asked, clearly confused.

The Brooker opened the back door and out walked a woman dressed in silver robes with a cowl on her head. When she pulled it down Felicia and Wanda gasped in recognition.

"Lilandra, Grand Admiral of the Shi'ar Empire," Wanda hissed, her eyes narrowed, "you have some nerve-" her eyes went wide as she felt the echoes of a familiar mind radiating from Lilandra's mind when she tried to scan the surface thoughts.

Wanda couldn't read her mind, it was too well protected, but, she could feel Jean inside her, Jean had gotten in, and she could tell, she had influenced her.

``Jean's controlling her thinking,' Wanda immediately told Felicia and Sue mentally. The two hide their surprise, only moving their line of sight to Wanda and the Lilandra asking for confirmation, 'I can feel Jean's ideas inside her head, whatever she's about to say we need to listen her out.'

"Alright bird brain," Felicia began, her eyes narrowed, "what exactly do you want?"

Lilandra smiled, "it's simple...I want to hire you."

One day later:

Just outside the Chandilar system:

Beta-Ray Bill:

Bill didn't like being away from the fight. Out of the many qualities that his people had installed in him, patience was one he had to learn for himself and he was a poor learner.

He stood on the deck of the Avenger's flag ship, 'The Captain', and he wanted more than anything to be on the ground, where all the action was. He looked outside the ship's window and saw the heart of the Shi'ar Empire, where the rest of the team was. But not him, no, he was here, on this ship, with Carol Danvers, Drax, Rocket and Logan.

The two soldiers he could understand and even Rocket was an expert in weapons, but why Drax? It never made sense to Bill and the green and red alien proceed to annoy him further by sitting lazily with one leg over the armrest, sharpening his knives very loudly.

What did he expect to do? Stab them all to death?

Bill shook his head, telling himself to focus. He must have made sense because Carol noticed.

"Nervous?" she asked.

Bill sighed, "that obvious?"

"I can tell," Carol shrugged, "want to share? I heard it helps."

"It doesn't," Logan spoke up, for once without his favorite cup of alcohol.

"How many battles have you been in?" Carol asked, clearly picking up Logan's tone of experience, one Bill had noticed as well.

"All of them," Logan replied, his eyes for a moment looking far off into the depths of space, "I think..."

Carol looked at Bill and shrugged, neither of them knew if he was joking. Bill crossed his arms and tapped his fingers against his biceps. He had a mission, a duty to fulfill and this one he would not fail.

Peter Parker had helped him by giving his people a home. By giving them a chance again, to live. He owed him, and helping save his child was the least he could do.

Which was exactly why Bill wished he was down there, where he could actually help, instead of hiding here, behind a belt of asteroids with the rest of the Avenger's fleet. Hiding from the literal dozen armadas currently around Chandilar and its surrounding planets.

There were so many ships, during her last scouting, Carol had found two hundred or so. They were outgunned, they all knew it. But they had a plan, a plan and a hope. So here they were, waiting. Waiting for the right time to strike.

Chandilar, Throneworld of the Shi'ar Empire:

Felicia Hardy:

The planet wasn't like anything she had seen before. It was massive, it's mass easily four times that of Earth. Every single surface of the planet was covered with buildings, even major portions of the sky had floating buildings traveling across the air.

The buildings were all bright and shining, proof of a wealthy empire, wealth gained by the destruction of hundreds of thousands of other smaller systems. If it was any other time Felicia would be wondering what she could steal, but right now she had something more important to do than fulfill her hobby.

They were in the colosseum, a massive newly constructed stadium in the heart of the city just a few miles away from the royal palace. It resembled a giant fish bowl the first time Felicia saw it, a curved outside with ten towers placed around it like armed guards.

The inside had the people benched all around, ending with fifty foot drop into the arena in the middle of the stadium. The colosseum was built to house five million people, and judging by the way the crowd, all five million had come.

The arena was decorated as well, with soldiers that is. Each one forming a squadron around the arena floor, armed and ready.

And in the middle of that all, was a single silver and green halo. One that was placed on top of a platform which had clamps and cuffs chained to the ground. However none of them noticed Felicia, mostly because she was hiding in one of the towers around the arena, invisible.

Felicia had someone buzz her, she tapped her earpiece, "what is it?"

"That halo, I recognize it," Wanda was speaking, "it was the same one they used on Angela."

"You sure?"

"She wouldn't' stop describing what she was going to do once she found it, yes, I'm sure," Wanda replied.

Felicia turned to the crowd, to the very first row on the north-east side, she spotted Wanda and half of their team, who were disguised under a glamour to hide their features. "Alright, knowing them, that's definitely what they are going to use on Jean. Meaning we need to neutralize that first."

"I'll take point on that," Susan replied, she was also invisible, hiding behind the soldiers in the arena, "you all get Jean and I'll handle the halo thing." It was too bad they couldn't have her go in and sabotage it right now, sadly the thing was guarded by a kinetic barrier that couldn't be breached without detection.

"Head's up you guys," Johnny tuned in from on top his perch on one of the other towers facing the royal palace, "I can see movement from the palace, I think it's starting."

"Alright everybody, this is it, keep your head clear and stay focused," Felicia whispered, "don't open communications unless needed, and remember, stick to the plan."

"Right."

"Roger."

"Wait, Quill, did you just say roger?" Johnny laughed.

"Shut up man," Quill hissed, much to the annoyance of Wanda who proceed to hiss at them both.

Felicia sighed, closing the communications and rubbing her eyes. She still couldn't believe this was happening. They were being hired by the Emperor's sister to disrupt her brother's 'finest' hour, who was in turn being influenced mentally by their own friend. In a way Jean was trying to save herself. It really was amazing.

Silently Felicia wondered if this would work, if they would be able to...to save her. The plan was perfect, they had accounted for everything, after all Lilandra was on the inside. She had even managed to get information from Vulcan on the security details, finding the perfect time to strike.

The plan was set, it was air tight, provided there were no mess ups, though Felicia doubted anyone, even someone like Johnny or Quill would do something to mess it up.

Suddenly, the sky started to darken, Felicia along with everyone gathered looked up and saw a flying saucer slide above the stadium. For a moment Felicia thought it was a joke, before she remembered how Lilandra said D'Ken had a flare for the dramatic.

The bottom of the ship opened down and slowly the platform sank down to the middle of the arena. On the platform were the royal entourage, Felicia had her mask zoom in onto the platform and picked out all the people.

The skinny man with the almost comically obvious evil beard was D'Ken, next to him was Lilandra, a few of his generals, Vulcan, Gladiator, a few armed soldiers and in the middle of them all was Jean, chained and bound by her wrists in a cage. Visibly pregnant.

Felicia felt her heart burn, her eyes tearing up in rage at the sight before her and her own powerless nature to stop it. She was right there, Jean, and she couldn't help her. If she was stronger, if she was just a little stronger.

Her claws dug into the ground, breaking stone apart.

'Patience is a virtue Kitten,' Bast whispered into her ear.

Felicia growled, "they have the woman I love in chains, intending to kill her and her daughter...I'm not going to be patient. When I get the chance, I'm ripping their head of their body."

'I never said not too, but until it is the right time...wait' Felicia knew Bast was right, but that didn't mean she liked the idea. She was just protesting for the sake of it, to push her anger somewhere, Bast knew this, willing to play scapegoat. Felicia knew she had to be silent, the plan relied on it. So she remained silent, watching them closely.

It was all going as Lilandra said it would, first they stepped off the dial and onto the arena floor. They were quickly surrounded by the present soldiers, who guided the king and royal entourage to a set of comfortable looking seats before the execution stage, while Gladiator personally took the bound prisoner onto said stage.

The people who were whispering up a storm suddenly went cold. They saw the bound red haired woman on the raised platform and almost as one, went silent. Felicia heard the stories, how much they feared the Phoenix, even now, she didn't Logan, Jessica's or Peter's powers to know what the people were feeling. They were scared, bound and gagged, they were still terrified of her.

So, like in all times of great fears, the people turned to their leader, who stood up, smiled, and spoke into an audio system Felicia couldn't identify, his voice booming and reaching all.

"My viritous members of the great and noble Shi'ar race. I, your emperor, bring to you a chance. A chance to change your fate," D'Ken stopped, silence reigned down on the crowd, "I envy other races, I sometimes even wish I had no been born as a Shi'arian," shock ran through the crowd at the blasphemous statement, "yes, it is true, I do. I know it is a foolish thought as no Empire, none, as are progressive, prosperous or just as our own...but I still sometimes wish that, for one reason alone.

"Every civilization has something they feared, something they, no matter how rational or intelligent they grew, always feared. For some it was the infinite horror's of their own actions, for others it was the unknown monsters in the dark, stuff of legends and nightmares, but in the end, stories all the same. But for us, our monster was real, and it was the most deadly one of them all.

"The Phoenix!" he roared, pointing at Jean, "the cursed raptor, the one that burnt down countless systems since time itself began. This is our nightmare, this whore! This creature of destruction! This is who we fear...but no longer!"

There was a click and the silver green halo above Jean began to glow, expanding to three times its size and lowering down until it rested around her temple, a good foot distance away from Jean's head.

"Today, I do my duty, not just as your ruler, your shepard, but as a son of Shi'ar! I kill the monster that is at our feet, now, before you all! I give unto the Shi'ar Empire the greatest turning point in its history! Greater than our first marriage in uniting our primordial tribes! Greater than our journey into space and greater than when So'tepsis himself brought half a galaxy to its knees in our name! Today, before you all, I will kill the Phoenix! It's blood forever standing this holy ground, hollowing it's sacred stones! Today, we cancel this nightmare and bring about a new day!"

"ARGH!" the people roared in cheer. In seconds he turned a crowd captured by a primal fear, taught into their very DNA, and changed them into a legion ready to see a pregnant woman executed.

D'Ken waved his hand, Vulcan and Lilandra stood up, following him as all three members of the royal family walked up to the execution platform, standing before Jean.

They whispered something, Felicia couldn't even read their lips at this distance, "Sue, can you reach them?" Felicia asked.

"I tossed a bug onto Jean's body the moment I saw her," Sue replied, activating a new signal.

"...With you death, know that you bring about a new dawn," Lilandra completed the end of what sounded like a final prayer, "I wish you swift tiding into the-"

"-She isn't Shi'ar, shut your mouth woman," D'Ken cut Lilandra off, "she doesn't deserve our words."

"Of course, my emperor," Lilandra bowed moving away.

"But she is right, your death will bring about a new dawn for my empire, one where we will no longer suffer from your existence," D'Ken spat out, "one where no one need wonder is they would see a flash of burning wings and fear their end. Die with that knowledge, Phoenix."

"I am not the Phoenix," Jean whispered.

"Of course you are," D'Ken snorted.

"I am not," Jean replied, "ever since...ever since my baby, the Phoenix has been so distorted, it couldn't handle the mind of the child. It's retreated into itself, struggling and failing to understand her...between you and me, I think she's afraid."

"I see...you are the host, then you do have my pity, if only it never seeped it's talons into you...your child may have had a decent enough life."

Jean chukled, "you know, I think you're right...but you know… the Phoenix does talk to me, and it does have something it wants to tell you."

"...And what is that?"

Even from afar, Felicia saw Jean snapped her head up and stare into the Emperor's eyes with orbs that sparked alive with flames, "you'll burn for this."

The Emperor took several steps back, not enough that people thought him a coward, but enough to let everyone know, he was nothing more than the scared child he was claiming to protect.

"Vulcan, begin the execution," D'Ken hissed to his son, turning away and walking back to the royal seating area, plopping down with his loyal subjects.

Vulcan motioned to the Gladiator and they both began giving out instructions, this was it, it was time. Felicia stood up from her perch, tapping her communicator, "wait for Lilandra's single. And then, begin. Don't wait, just get in there."

"Understood."

"Roger."

They waited, eyes peeled and looking onto the arena. The halow began to glow a sickly green aura it gave made Felicia's stomach curl. She heard how painful that was, she wasn't going to let Jean feel that pain.

Vulcan was given a switch by one of the workers on site, a giant green button. He brought it towards D'Ken, he dropped to one knee and held it over his head to the Emperor.

D'Ken smiled, reaching to hold it. Everyone's eyes were focused on the Emperor, everyone was focused on his finger hovering over the button. None of them was focused on the woman next to him, none of the were focused on Lilandra, none, expect the Avengers.

D'Ken stood up, walking around the still kneeling Vulcan and raised the button into the air. The people quickly grew silent, all attention to him, "and with this," his finger above the button, "let peace reign."

Click!

"Move!" Felicia hissed as she leaped off the tower, shooting a webline from her own web shooters, swinging from the tower into the arena, letting go at the very crutendo of the swing.

Liandra's finger curled into her dress. Everyone turned to the Phoenix's host, but instead of scream of pain, all they saw was her smiling cockly at their confused faces.

"Something wrong?" she asked. There was a thud which none heard except her. Suddenly the manacles around Jean's wrists came off, she came down hard, only to suddenly seemingly float in the air.

"What is going on?!" D'Ken cried out. Felicia's deactivated her suit, she was holding Jean in her arms, her eyes were narrowed at D'Ken, hate freely spewing out.

"K-Kitten?" Jean asked, tears freely flowing out in droves, "y-you came. You really came."

"Always," Felicia whispered.

"Peter?"

"He's on his way, don't worry, but right now we need to worry about us," Felicia snapped her fingers, and just as Gladiator and Vulcan were getting ready to surround the two women from Earth, the north-east section of the stadium seemed to explode.

"What is going on?!" D'Ken cried out, confusion clear on his face as suddenly half the people in that section of the stadium seemed to transform from Shi'ar citizens, into multi coloured species armed with guns.

"Avenge the broken!" it was a famous war cry started by a slave of the Shi'ar expansion many years ago, but everyone in that stadium immediately turned their attention to the clear hostile forces, not noticing both the Phoenix and Felicia had disappeared in an explosion of black smoke.

"Find her! Find the damn bird!" D'Ken cried out, Gladiator nodded, turning to scan the area, only to come up short. He took off into the sky, hoping to catch their ship if they intended to flee.

Then suddenly a man on fire seemed to fly across the sky sending fireballs at the assembled royal forces.

"My Emperor!" Vulcan stepped in front of the flames, they battered harmlessly off his enhanced body.

It was pandemonium, clear and utter chaos. In that moment, no one knew what was happening as every time a gaurd caught a slave, said slave vanished in thin air, almost as if they weren't even there in the first place.

Some reported seeing a woman in red throwing rows of seats into the air, others reported a guy stealing their wallets and stunning others. There were rumors of a green woman with blades and another who broke the noses of people who came too close. A young man wearing a visor that also seemed to join in on the fun.

They were all given chase but they all had managed to vanish.

It had been a wild goose hunt, a red herring to draw Men's attention away from the escaping terrorists, because that was exactly what they were to the Shi'ar Empire. D'Ken ordered the immediate closing of all spaceports having no ships coming in or out.

They were searching for the missing woman everywhere, never once guessing that she had been right under their noses all along, hidden behind an invisible force field right next to the tent of the royals.

It wasn't until nightfall when they finally moved, Felicia had Sue remove the halo around Jean's head and personally slashed it into tiny pieces. They then walked out of the now nearly empty stadium, easily slipping by the minimal guards D'Ken had posted around the place.

"W-where are we going?" Jean asked, her voice strained.

"A safe house, we'll stay there before the heat dies down. Then we can get to the Liberty which Lilandra has hidden away for us in her home and get the fuck out of here," Felicia whispered as she and Sue helped take her down a road where a levitating limo was waiting for them. The door opened and inside was the rest of their team, who quickly helped Jean inside and get comfortable.

"Lilandra helped?" Jean asked as they took off, Johnny was flying, much to Quill's annoyance.

"She did, good job brainwashing her by the way," Felicia smiled, taking off her mask and holding onto Jean's hand for life, her eyes wandering across her face, she looked tired, beyond exhausted, but alive.

"I didn't brainwash her," Jean said with a smile, her fingers coming up to push a strand of Felicia's hair away from her face, "she already had the idea, all I did was nudge it a little. I hope Peter comes soon...I really wish he comes soon..."

"Why, what's wrong?" Sue asked, guessing the reason with a simple glance of her trained medical eye, "wait...oh my god..."

"Yeah," Jean nodded, giving off a very tired sigh, "the baby's coming."

Peter Parker:

I was once again in my own mind. I stood in the middle of my memories, the city of Earth below and the infinite vastness of space above. Each planet I visited had a building dedicated to it, floating around in the air above, inside of each palace were every single strand related to my time there.

I turned, my eyes landed onto the park in the middle, where my mental image of Thor's powers, Mjoner, stood. I floated down, my mind rumbling, the world growing brighter and brighter, something must be happening outside, whatever, I had to focus on this.

I saw the hammer and I reached out. Suddenly, my arms morphed, my gauntlets appearing in place of my empty hands. I reached out and pulled, the hammer didn't seem to weigh a thing.

A surge of energy entered my body. A rush so drastic that I couldn't even begin to explain how much energy flew through me. It was enough to send my entire body a-buzz. My arm vibrated and suddenly, the mental image of Mjoner vanished and in their place, my gauntlets began to spark electricity.

I created a link between Thor's energy in my body and the gauntlets. First step, success. But there was another energy source in here, one which was much more powerful, which I specifically asked Entri to check if these gauntlets could handle them.

I turned to the Dark Tower, to the lightning bolts pinned underneath the tower. Jean's first act with the Phoenix Force, her act of saving me which eventually resulted to her eventual kidnapping. To having my daughter's life endangered.

I won't let that happen again, my weakness won't put people I love in danger. So I flew to the lightning and without thinking, grabbed on bolt and ripped it free from the tower.

KRAKOOM!

The lightning came into me like a torpedo.

I wasn't prepared for it. It curled into my body, into my very soul. The energy it gave off, the gauntlets weren't able to absorb them all. So much was being leaked out, hitting my very soul. I could see everything inside myself and outside, reality began to morph.

Was this what it meant to be an Omega level mutant? To see reality in such a way that mortal or divine could barely relate? What was I now? Was I human? Was I devine? Was I nothing more than molecules collected and then slowly breed to act and believe that I was destined for something more than that?

I wasn't was I? I was just...dust, space dust battling other space dust, fighting, dying, living, none of it mattered, all of us, we were all so...so...point-

An orange flash, the last of the lightning bolt came free with it an ember from Jean's powers. I saw it, a flash, but I saw it. I saw Jean, I felt her. And slowly, the dust began to form into an image.

An image of home, of people I knew, of whom I loved. Dust we maybe...but I didn't care. We were more, I knew we were more. We had to be, Hope had to be. I refuse this pessimistic view of life...life...it was only worth living if you lived it, if not then...what was the point?

I felt the lightning by now reach into my core, altering so much I couldn't even keep track. This was just a portion of Franklin Richards power but at the same time it was so much more than just psionic energy, I could feel it. It was...it was something else entirely.

It began flowing through my body and into my memories, sinking into the ground, into my soul. I felt things around me start to morph, the world twist and turn into different shapes and forms. Into a mangled form of what it once was, before I finally managed to gain control.

A second of clarity, that's all it took, a second, and I grabbed the tail end of the lightning and pulled, pulling it like a bull ranger would, forcing it back into myself and into a ball. The city slowly returned to normal and the ball began to try and break free like a ball of sand.

I needed something to stick this together, something to keep it from breaking apart and destroying everything again. I needed...I needed...magic.

My magic. My...Web magic.

The Web of Life, a magic I barely knew anything about, barey knew how to learn and wasn't foolish enough to try. I knew one thing, how to channel a sliver of a fraction of its power into my eyes, maybe….

I closed my eyes and slowly the energy began to leak through my hands into the ball. The ball began to condense, I saw the light died down, slowly taking form. Blue energy with cracks filled in with gold.

Like marble, like pure marble.

I opened my eyes and found myself lost in space. I was back to my real body, my body burning from the very energy it was giving off before I gained control. I looked down, my gauntlets were still there, electric blue shining through uru grey. Yy UMF suit however was gone, replaced by something else. The armour Eoffren and I designed.

The suit was a mixture of leather and metal. A red vest with metal plates running down the chest in the shape of a startling white spider with two legs stretching over my shoulder and two around the dark sides.

I had a raised black collar framing my neck, dark chainmail running down my arms like the ones around Thor's own hands and black leather pants covered my legs, a red line coming down the side, not changing until the soles of my feet which were red.

I had a mask over my face, all red with the leaf-like eye lens all my suit's have. The spider on my chest had disks on the upper pectoral and two more on my sides, arcing the spider's legs around it. The third set was on my belt which was bright red, thick with several tiny linked metal panels running around my hip.

I felt...powerful. The energy the gauntlets gave, the way my body felt, it was pushing me to the very peak of my body's capabilities. This was it, this was the strongest I've ever been, strong enough to do what needs to be done.

I was floating in the middle of space, for a second, panic sank in. I wondered why I didn't die, before I realised...I didn't need to breathe anymore. The energy inside of me, it was...it was fueling my body, doing the work my oxygen did.

It felt different, off in a way, like an off-brand cup of nutella, but it would do. I looked around and spotted off in the distance the station of Nivadeviller. I needed to get there...I needed to fly there.

I wanted to test my powers out, I needed to see what I could do. I extended my arms and blasted forward. In was flying through the air I think I would have passed through the speed of sound several times over by now.

I lost control within the first twenty seconds and crashed right through the hull of the space station. I landed in a crater. The dwarven residents quickly gathered around the creator I had made.

Lightning I produced unconsciously sparkled out of my body, the breath of air I took flooded my senses.

"Peter?" I turned, Thor and Angela stood at the crater's edge, looking down at me in awe, "I thought you dead."

"I'm not, not yet," I reply, stepping forward, walking out of the crater, "how long was I out?"

"A-a few days," Thor replied.

My eyes winded, "did you tell the others what happened to me?"

"No I...I did not know how to break such news," Thor said slowly, I smelt the stink of a drunken night's drink on his breath. He had gotten drunk to mourn me, he does care.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm not," I replied.

"How can we be sure you're really you?" Angela asked, "the amount of energy you were giving off the moment you put on those gauntlets, no mortal should have survived that, help, Thor and barely touched you and we ourselves took a day and several elixirs to fully heal."

"There is one way," Thor said, quickly taking out and holding his hammer. I reached out and without a second's thought, grabbed it by the handle, lifting it out of his grasp.

KRAKOOM!

The hammer began to practically shake as my own power was channeled through it. I handed it back to Thor, turning to Angela, "if we're done, it's time to move. The Shi'ar Empire might have already made a move," I turned to Entri, who had just joined the crowd, shocked to see me alive, "King Entri, I thank you for your work. These are the finest weapons I have ever seen, I would stay to repay the favour, but right now, at the very moment, I have a place to be."

"Oh, I'll say," Entri snorted, "after that botched execution two days ago I hear the Shi'ar Emperor is about ready to kill you lady love."

My head turned slowly to the king, "botched what?"

For the first time, I saw Entri look scared, "e-execution."

"They tried to kill Jean?"

"Yes… but they failed, your friends saved her, or so I guess. I mean, who else, right?"

"When was this," I asked, my blood wasn't boiling like hot water, no, it was sweating like molten lava.

"Four standard days ago," Thor spoke up, "I would have gone to help but I didn't know where they are, no one does."

"If you haven't heard from them then that means they are still in danger...worst case still somewhere D'Ken get them...but if they haven't left for safety yet, then the only reason is...Hope… Jean must have given birth."

I missed it, I had missed the birth of my child. Of my first child. No, not the time. Right now, at this moment, only one thing mattered. I tossed Mjoner back to Thor and walked away.

"Where are you going Peter?"

"A bath and a shave. And then I'm going to wherever the fuck the Shi'ar Empier calls home."

"Why?"

I ignored him and walked away. I heard Angela sighed, "did you really have to ask?"

I took the quickest bath I ever did, wiping away the germs and grim I had accumulated over the week or so I was here. The bath cleansed me, made me feel whole again as for a single second, I gained a peace of mind that I lacked before.

I had a goal, one goal. Save Jean and Hope.

I cut my shoulder length hair into a close sharp cut, trimmed my beard to something a little more than a five-o-clock shadow and turned to my gauntlets.

I slipped them on and activated them. I felt the surge of power inside myself go through them and back into me, allowing me to use now a bigger portion of Franklin Richard's power.

I knew exactly what new power I had gained, it was instincula for me, the knowledge, the ideas that came with it, it was all in here, in my mind. I put on my UMF suit and opened the door to the guest quarters I had used, finding Thor, now looking much more sober, Angela, the Warrior's Three and Lady Sif all waiting on the other side.

I turned to Thor, he shrugged, "I thought you would want the backup."

I nodded, "Thank you...let's go."

"Where too first oh fearless leader?' Frendral asked, I detected a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"First...I need to get something from my system."

"The one you bought?" Thor asked. I nodded as we walked to Nivadeviller's only space port, "why there?"

"I need to collect something."

"What's that?"

"A message that I intend to send the Shi'ar...a message they won't soon forget."