16 Chapter 16: A day to relax

Looking himself in the mirror Cerion splashed his face with water from the sink. After the events of yesterday, he had taken the rest of the day off and slept through the whole evening and night. Now, the morning sun shined brightly outside but he felt like taking the day off.

There was a boatload of work waiting for him at his office but he was not in a mood to concentrate on all of that on the fly.

Yesterday's events underscored the danger prevalent in this universe. He had not considered anyone a threat owing to his Kryptonian ancestry that ensured his near invulnerability under the influence of a Yellow Star. Well, there was the Ancient One but he theorized he could take her out provided he doesn't hold back and attack with the intent to kill. His speed could help him to triumph over the Ancient One.

In his hubris, he thought all other creatures in the Universe would face the same disadvantage when facing him in battle. Yesterday's events proved him wrong.

Cerion's eyes found the Dataminer he used to collect information from the archives of the disabled Kree ship by his bedside. He picked it up from the table and went down to the basement of his house.

"Good morning Commander Vex."

Optima greeted him via a drone which activated upon his entry.

"Good morning Optima." He greeted back before he plopped down to a sofa in the basement as lights flickered on courtesy of Optima.

He handed over the Dataminer to Optima. "It contains the data archives from the Kree ship. I want to know why the Kree attacked and how they knew to target the city."

"Right away Commander."

Optima took in the Dataminer and plugged it into the drone's processing core.

While Optima processed the data, Cerion switched on the TV and browsed through the major news outlets. He took a look at CNN.

In a major announcement, NASA has announced that they tracked and destroyed a meteorite headed for earth. Sources inside NASA claims that the meteorite was not an object of concern as it was bound to burn away under Earth's atmospheric friction. Yet, the White House released a statement saying that the military dealt with meteor sparking debate over the safety of our planet from space rocks. We have General Mathew Harris of the Air Force on the line.

General, why was military action required if the meteor was not a threat?

General Harris: Well, I can say with utmost certainty that people ought to have no fear. There is zero danger to us from space. The Air Force and NASA coordinate in Object Collision Defence and Near-Earth Object Observations Program. When we first learned of the object we formulated a project called Project Atlas which is the defence of American Airspace from attacks by missiles, meteor shower or even a hostile satellite. We chose to use the ASAT (Anti-Satellite) weapons to demonstrate the ability of the United States Air Force to defend our country and if need be our planet from threats, both from inside and outside.

Host: So, there are no threats from space General? People can go on shopping for Christmas without looking to the sky for some rocks falling on their head?

General Harris: Don't worry people. The USAF keeps our eyes on the sky. When we are here nothing will touch the people on the ground. Just keep your eyes on the road and drive slow. The roads are slippery, you know.

The host and the General dissolve into laughter and Cerion changed the channel. The same story was being run on other channels briefly before switching away to more juicy stories. He switched off the TV and let out a sigh of relief. It would seem SHIELD managed to keep everything under wraps, for now. Even the foreign media were ignorant of what transpired a few miles outside of Earth's atmosphere.

In the end, he gathered that it was a good thing. The people of Earth were not ready to have the news of aliens and space wars delivered to them. It was his belief that they never will, but sooner or later they will be forced to confront the truth.

It was not his problem how humanity faced the wider galaxy. At least, he thought he has very little to contribute in this matter. Nonetheless, a major scrutiny being avoided on yesterday's incident sat well with him. He didn't feel like it was time to be exposed and face the world without a mask. The anonymity of his true identity was helpful in many ways. This was why he went out of his way to destroy any evidence of a battle by cleaning out the debris from the exosphere of Earth.

He even tucked away the disabled Kree ship on the dark side of the moon along with a few samples of the Kree themselves. For the time being, Earth's natural satellite was more than enough to keep the Kree ship safe and sound. He would have asked for the Ancient One's help in moving the ship to the island but he disliked depending on Earth's mystical defender.

"Commander Vex, I have combed through the Kree archives."

Optima's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"So, why did they attack the city?" he asked curiously.

"It seems a distress beacon was sent out to Hala when I took over the city. I apologize for my lapse, Commander."

"I poured over your protocols Optima. If the beacon went ahead then it means it was tied down to a separate server triggered by unknown parameters that we didn't take into account. The fault is that we didn't think of employing signal jammers."

"I will add that to my protocols Commander."

"Good." he nodded in approval before sifting through the data packet extracted from the Kree ship.

Undoubtedly, the Kree ship he hijacked was a warship and was used for war by the Kree Empire. According to the ship's logs, it seems there was a war going on between the Kree Empire and the Nova Empire. The war has been going on and off for centuries by the look of it. It was one war after another with a brief period of peace intermittently brokered with an armistice.

"An endless war." he whispered in horror.

On one hand, he should not have been this surprised. It is not as if the old races of MCU were any different from mankind. War, crime, poverty, greed, corruption and every other sin that is the death of civilizations were rampant all across the universe irrespective of galaxies, races or civilizations.

Just take Krypton for example. As an old race, Kryptonians were leaps ahead of humanity in technological achievements. A vibrant scientific culture thrived in his former home. Yet, all that technology, knowledge and culture hardly curbed their self-destruction. If the destruction of the planet had happened without anyone's notice he could have lived with that. But having worked so closely with Jor-El, Cerion knew how hard the man tried to make Krypton's rulers see sense.

Not just Jor-El. There were many scholars who tried to put the word out but they were silenced early on. It was only then Jor-El tried to reason with the Council as a last-ditch effort, quite unsuccessfully. It was this series of events that led Jor-El to preserve a piece of Krypton through Kal El.

It was in this moment that he came to a profound sense of clarity. There was no perfect path to life. There was no perfect civilization either. The concept of a perfect civilization or utopia is just that, a concept and he realized it will stay a concept for time immemorial. It was his arrogance and hubris that made him think that he could succeed where many others have failed. Those who have chased perfection have always caused the most harm to life and natural order.

Conflict, he realised is part of nature. Without conflict, there will be no need for aspiration. And without aspiration, there will be no true advancement. Happiness and peace should be a personal pursuit. It cannot be imposed by someone from the top and that's what he had planed in his arrogance. He was so close to making the same mistake Krypton's decadent rulers did to doom their planet.

'But maybe I can facilitate an environment where peace and happiness can be accessible to those who strive hard for it.' he thought

In order to do that, first, he must know peace and happiness. And it was at that moment he let go of his goal to rebuild Krypton in this Universe.

"Just as you said Jor. Krypton had its chance." he whispered to himself.

He felt as if a great weight was removed from his shoulders.

It felt refreshing to be free from that responsibility. His need to remake Krypton had clouded him to many of the inherent problems it would bring. Just how was he going to create a functioning society when it is filled with super-powered beings that could singlehandedly decimate any known civilizations in the Universe? It was also possible that the Kryptonians that he would clone would turn out immortal like him and that was the worst thing that he would do to another sentient being.

Death, he realized was a gift. Those who died in Krypton may have suffered momentarily but for those who survived, their suffering is endless. He thought of Zod and the other Kryptonians stuck in the Phantom Zone. At the very least, Kal El would grow up with a loving family far removed from the burden of Krypton.

At that moment, he appreciated his universal jump for Kal El's sake. If he had managed to reach DCU Earth with Kal El, it was entirely possible that he would have raised Kal with the burden of Krypton's loss. But now, he was reasonably sure Kal was having a better childhood.

'So even in failure, there are small victories. The trick is to look past the failure.' he thought as his mind settled down in satisfaction.

He rubbed his eyes and went back to browsing through the data from the Kree Ship. He looked for the Gravity Wells he encountered as that interested him. If he had been not so arrogant as to assume that his enhanced Kryptonian biology could not be threatened he would not have fallen into the Kree's trap.

"Optima, show me any files related to a gravity weapon."

His order was immediately followed and Optima projected three files. One was about the maintenance of the weapon and some data regarding its safety protocols. The second file was about tactics employed by the ships to use the gravity weapon. The third file was about its specific uses and the situations in which the weapon is to be used or not activated because of risks.

For example, the gravity well was not to be used inside the atmosphere of a planet. The possibility of a self-sustaining ever-expanding singularity was too high. It was also advised to not engage the weapon during FTL jumps.

But, what truly grabbed his attention was the secondary directing accompanying the use of Gravity Well. The weapon was to be used for the capture of Vers otherwise known as Captain Marvel, a dangerous traitor of the Kree Empire according to the files.

'So, the weapon is designed to be used against Carol Danvers.' he thought

It made sense. If the Kree manage to capture and brainwash Danvers then they get a powerful weapon they could employ to win their war. If the weapon can pin a Kryptonian under the influence of a Yellow Sun then he gathered Captain Marvel could stand no chance. It is also possible that Carol's powers could protect her and perhaps even overcome the weapon as he did.

That thought led him to think about the entity that helped him escape the Gravity Well. It was certainly not a being he ever saw in the MCU movies or the shows for that matter. He was not exactly a fan of the marvel comics growing up as he preferred Flash and Batman in his childhood. The rest of his interest lay in investigative novels so he never veered off into marvel comics.

The doorbell rang distracting him from his thoughts. He could have used his enhanced vision to see who was the guest but what was the point in knowing everything. Life was more fun with a bit of ignorance.

So he went about it the old fashioned way. Locking the basement's doorway behind his movable bookshelf he made himself presentable and opened the door. His eyes widened in surprise as he took in his unexpected guest.

"Surprise!" said Jane as she pulled him into a hug.

While momentarily stunned he regained his bearings and a smile crossed his face. He swept her off her feet and twirled before setting her down capturing her lips in a kiss. He felt a wave of warmth and a fluttering in his gut.

"You are here!"

"I am." said Jane with a smile that made him kiss her again.

"The day gets better and better."

Cerion laughed as he led her into his house.

"What brings you to California? You never said anything about this last time we spoke."

"Thought I'll give you a surprise. You said you can't leave California till New Year's Eve so I decided to spend some time with you." said Jane as she looked around the house and finally decided to plop herself on a sofa.

"Well, consider me pleasantly surprised. You want tea?"

"No. I need to take a bath. Yesterday's meteor incident suspended my flight and I spent the rest of the day in an airport." said Jane as she fished out a towel from her travel bag. Placing a quick peck on his lips she skipped over to the bathroom.

'Oh boy. Good thing I took the day off.' he thought before preparing some hot tea.

********

Jane hadn't felt this happy in a while. Back in Virginia, it was College her apartment and back to college with little to no time in between. When Cerion was living next door she could hardly feel time pass but now it was another matter. Sure, her extra-terrestrial boyfriend visited her in between and call her as well as text her occasionally.

She missed those days where she could hang out with Cerion in the restaurant, walk through parks, have chocolate ice cream by the street, watch TV together and even sleep together. Now, she was all alone in her apartment with her work and studies keeping her company. There was no fun element in her life.

She found it strange that she found more comfort with an alien rather than her fellow humans. It was strange in its own way.

Then again Cerion has always acted so human-like. She had never felt any alien vibes from her boyfriend. Then again what did she know of how aliens behave? It was not as if she had met many aliens to make a sound judgement. She found it strange that of all their conversations she never delved into asking the nature of the Universe. She never had asked all the questions that the scientific community of Earth would have asked Cerion.

Somewhere along the way, Cerion changed her and touched her life in a way that she couldn't explain. If she was her old self she would have asked questions after questions. Of course, she had the urge to ask and she had many questions but she learned something important from Cerion. That questions and answers were important but what is more important is the journey.

'Dedicate and direct your passion to the process rather than the result.'

Those were the words that Cerion spoke to her when she voiced her frustration with the lack of results pursuing her thesis. Since then she had tried her best to dedicate herself to the process of science rather than the result. It was difficult to avoid thinking of success or failure but she was trying and tried to pour as much passion into her day-to-day work.

In these last few months, Cerion had become her pillar of strength and moral support. Unlike her father who was too overbearing for his own good, Cerion was a silent supporter. Having thought long and hard she concluded that her father lacked trust in her abilities while Cerion was the opposite. This was why she couldn't stand Culver and had to escape to California. It didn't help that she saw her father almost every day as he works at her university.

'I should have chosen Harvard but then…' she looked at Cerion who was riding beside her on a bicycle. '…I wouldn't have met him.'

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Cerion

Jane felt her cheeks flush red with embarrassment getting caught.

"Well, I'm wondering why you are wearing a headgear when you could fly faster than sound or bend steel with your bare hands?" she quickly made up a response although she had the distinct impression Cerion knew she was lying.

"Cause it's fashionable. What? You don't like it?"

She kicked his bike with her foot and Cerion fell.

"Race you to the Lake." she laughed as she picked up speed on her bike.

"Hey, that's not fair."

She heard Cerion call behind her.

"Life isn't fair." she called back

A few minutes later they were both near the lake. She was out of breath while Cerion wasn't even sweating.

"Oh, c'mon. You are not even sweating. How's that fair?" she pointed at him and his nonchalant look after he best her to the lake with ease.

"As some wise women said not too long ago, life isn't fair." Cerion said amusedly.

They were at Arastradero Preserve enjoying some nature-time. She knew how much Cerion loved nature and that was why she suggested this place for an outing.

It has been a whirlwind of a day, all things considered. From Mountain View, it was just some twenty minutes drive to the Preserve. By the time they arrived she was starving as she hadn't had any food except for some chocolate. So, the two of them enjoyed a plate of Lobster fried rice from a restaurant. And they were just getting started. Their next destination was to the beach, more specifically Pescadero. After that who knows.

********

Turns out having superpowers has another welcome advantage.

Cerion found out he could swim and surf like a professional. All those years wasted on trying and failing to snake a wave on steady legs were long gone. Now, the tides were his bitch and he was the master. A bit crude analogy but it felt satisfying to surf like a pro after the ridiculous amount of ridicule he suffered from his friends in his previous life.

The initial plan was for Jane and himself to just take a long walk along the beach, perhaps even go for a swim. Somehow, they got tangled with some other people on the beach and they ended up surfing. He had to admit that Jane was better than his human-self in keeping her feet on the board.

But that was not important. The important thing is that he found out he could snake the waves and that too in style. A few passes on the waves and a few acrobatic spins later he had garnered a lot of fans and attention. And that's how he ended up in a surfing competition with some serious surfers who were intent on outperforming him.

"Hey, dude." called a fellow surfer whose name was Robert.

"I have a name."

"Your name is weird, pal. Where are you from?"

"Albanian. Now, I'm an American."

That was the cover story SHIELD had cooked up for him.

"Huh, that's good to know."

"Why?"

"At least I can say I lost to a fellow American."

"Don't say that Robert. One of us will smoke him this time." said another fellow surfer named Eric.

"Good luck fellas. It seems that's my wave." he said when the guy on the Jet Ski alerted him.

He held himself steady as the Jet Ski powered through the sea towards the wave forming in the distance. The Jet Ski took the curve and he let go.

Typically, this was the point where he would crash into the wave and be a laughing stock but now, the tactile kinetic shield on his body tends to expand to his will. That means the surfboard and the wave itself would accommodate his will. He snaked through the wave quite smoothly to the enthusiastic applause of his many new friends.

After spending a few more minutes in the sea with Jane who put up a good effort in surfing he returned to the beach. He sat down on the sand with Jane basking in a bit of sun. It was December and it should have been cold but the day remained the warmest day of the month so far.

"We should get back." he said despite wanting to stay for a bit longer. It was the most fun he had in years come to think of it.

"And Jane…"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for sharing this moment with me."

"No." she said before she looped her arms around his neck. "Thank you."

And then they kissed.

Someone cleared their throat forcing him to break the kiss with Jane. The necklace on his neck was doing its job of shielding him from getting distracted by the whole world but it didn't help when someone would approach him normally.

Turns out the interruption came from Phil Coulson courtesy of SHIELD.

"Agent Coulson? What brings you here?"

"You."

"Me?"

"I'm just delivering a message from Director Fury. He wants to meet you."

"You could have texted or just called on my cell phone."

"I know. This is too important."

Cerion just sighed at the game Fury was playing.

"Alright. Where does he want to meet?" he asked

"At a safe house. We'll pick you up. Is tomorrow morning fine?"

He will have to take some heat from Deborah over this.

"Will it be short?" he asked curiously

"I don't know."

"Well, I guess I could squeeze Fury an hour at most."

"We'll see you tomorrow then." said Coulson "Miss Foster." The agent nodded before taking his leave.

"What does SHIELD want?" asked Jane

"Probably something to do with the attack on Earth yesterday."

"Attack! What attack?"

'Me and my big mouth.' he thought before placating Jane and began explaining the events that transpired yesterday.