With Howard having faked his death, Marcus had no official reason to enter the base, so he switched to void mode before approaching the facility.
In void mode, he traveled freely throughout the base, assessing the situation.
"Looks like those two haven't arrived yet!"
He wasn't in a hurry to find the other pilot—he knew Fury and Carol would definitely show up eventually.
Instead, Marcus wandered around the base searching for a particular cat.
There was a famous feline on this base, known to all personnel. The cat had been left behind by Dr. Lawson—a very well-behaved orange tabby named Goose.
During previous visits with Howard, Marcus had encountered the orange cat several times.
Marcus knew perfectly well that this seemingly innocent feline was no ordinary creature, but a famous Flerken.
For some strange reason, this Flerken would always gravitate toward him whenever they met. If Marcus hadn't once seen it extend its tentacles, he might have thought the creature was simply fond of him or wanted to be petted.
In one of the corridors, Marcus spotted an orange figure.
"Goose!"
Hearing Marcus's call, the orange cat named Goose trotted over. Marcus gently scratched under its chin, making the creature practically melt with pleasure.
He crouched down and scooped up Goose, giving the cat a gentle shake.
"You know, you're one of the most terrifying creatures in the universe. Why do you hang around this place all the time?"
Despite being a cosmic entity, Goose was better behaved than most regular cats. It had been here for years without devouring or harming anyone.
Goose didn't respond to the question. Instead, it simply rolled over in Marcus's arms and yawned.
After enjoying Marcus's petting for a while, Goose suddenly perked up and began walking purposefully in one direction.
"Hmm? Did you find something?"
This cat wouldn't move without reason—it must have detected something.
Following Goose, Marcus spotted Fury and Carol sneaking through the corridor. Fury was holding a piece of transparent tape in his hand.
"Well hello there, little guy! Aren't you cute?" After noticing Goose, Fury immediately crouched down. "Look at you! Who's the cutest cat around? Is it you? Yes it is!"
Watching this display from void mode, Marcus could barely keep from laughing. Who would have guessed the future calculating, no-nonsense Director Fury had such a soft spot for cats?
"What's your name?" Fury checked the tag on Goose's collar. "Goose? So cool. A cool cat needs a cool name!"
Fury's behavior made Carol visibly impatient. She spotted the archives room and called out to him.
"Fury, over here!"
Hearing Carol's voice, Fury reluctantly ended his interaction with Goose.
What they were searching for was in the archives room. Carol raised her hand and fired an energy blast, blowing the door open.
"Has this woman always been so trigger-happy?" Marcus wondered.
She'd blasted the Blockbuster video store earlier, and now another door—it seemed like Carol's solution to everything was an energy blast.
As the pair entered the archives room, Marcus picked up Goose, who was about to follow them inside.
"We'll wait for them out here."
While they waited, Fury suddenly rushed out with an alarmed expression, then quickly returned to the archives room. Shortly after, a pair of agents in suits arrived.
"Well, looks like we're in for some entertainment. Want to join, Goose?"
"Meow~"
Goose meowed and began walking away.
Initially, Marcus thought Goose wasn't interested in what was about to unfold, but after taking a few steps, the cat turned and meowed at him again.
Marcus realized Goose wanted to lead him somewhere. After brief consideration, he decided to follow—Goose was surely taking him somewhere important.
Following the cat, Marcus arrived at a hangar built into a cave, where Goose led him directly to a plane.
"Who are they waiting for?" Marcus wondered as Goose hopped into the aircraft. "They must be expecting Carol and Fury. Goose seems familiar with Carol."
Settling into the plane, Marcus and Goose waited quietly together.
Sure enough, not long after, the sound of commotion echoed through the hangar as a group of people rushed in. Carol and Fury quickly boarded the plane.
"Your intuition is impressive," Marcus whispered to Goose.
With the roar of engines, the plane accelerated down the runway and flew out of the cave.
As the aircraft climbed, Goose clung tightly to a storage container, spreading all four limbs to maintain balance.
"Meow~"
The sound broke the cabin's silence. Fury and Carol turned around to see Goose sprawled across the box.
"Uh... looks like we have a stowaway," Fury said.
"Actually, you have two," Marcus's voice rang out before he gradually materialized. "You two work well together."
His sudden appearance startled them both. How had Marcus appeared out of nowhere?
"Long time no see, Carol!" Marcus picked up Goose from the box and leaned against it casually. "Seems you've lost your memory. 'Starforce member Vers'? Ha!"
Marcus's sarcastic laugh left them both stunned.
They hadn't expected that Marcus actually knew Carol. His behavior earlier had certainly given no hint of this.
"Want to know why? You'll find out when you discover Mar-Vell's engine."
Seeing that Marcus had no intention of explaining further, Carol handed Fury a stack of photos.
"Maybe we really do know each other."
The photos showed her with Mar-Vell. If not for these images, she might have continued believing she was Kree.
Now she was confused. She was clearly human—an Earth woman. Why had she awakened on Hala?
The plane soon landed in a small town where Carol's former best friend, Maria Rambeau, lived.
"I still remember Maria's expression when she arrived at the crash site," Marcus commented. "I'm sure she'll be shocked to see you."
Marcus recalled the pilot Rambeau clearly. She had kept calling Carol's name after arriving at the scene, visibly distressed.
"But you still won't talk about how you know me," Carol said, eyeing Marcus as he held Goose. "By the way, does Rambeau know you?"
"Well... maybe. Who doesn't know Stark's super bodyguard?"
Without directly answering her question, the three of them walked together into Rambeau's yard.
Rambeau's property was spacious, complete with a landing pad for small aircraft. Maria was busy repairing a propeller plane in the yard.
"Excuse me, is Maria Rambeau here?"
Hearing the voice, Maria looked up from her work and stared at Carol with disbelief.
A young girl with an afro hairstyle jumped out of the plane.
"Aunt Carol?" the girl shouted in surprise. "Mom, it's Aunt Carol!"
She rushed forward and hugged Carol excitedly.
"I knew Aunt Carol was still alive!"
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New fanfic :
Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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