New Spoils

The lawn was damp, thick with the smell of soil and blood.

Yon-Rogg lay sprawled on the ground like an emptied sack of rice. The alloy armor over his chest had shattered, caved in at one spot, and every breath came with the faint pop of bloody bubbles bursting.

Chu Hang's combat boot rested on his chest. It did not seem to be applying much force, yet it felt welded in place.

Carol descended from the sky, her steps slightly unsteady. She stopped several meters away and looked at him. In her memories, he had been her mentor, her commander, an insurmountable mountain. Now, he was nothing but a pile of mud. The feeling was strange, like waking abruptly from a nightmare that had lasted six years.

"Talk." Chu Hang spoke in an even tone, as if asking what they were having for lunch. "Why did you come to Earth? What does the Supreme Intelligence want? And what did you do to her memories?"

Yon-Rogg coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with chunks of flesh, yet a twisted smile stretched across his face.

"She... isn't herself..." He roared with all his strength, his voice ragged as a leaking drum. "She's a weapon! Property of the Kree Empire! Her power is too dangerous—it has to be controlled! We gave her a new life, gave her glory! She should be grateful to us!"

Chu Hang lightly twisted the toe of his boot against the dented breastplate.

Crack.

It was the sound of ribs being displaced.

Yon-Rogg's roar caught in his throat, turning into a muffled groan. The agony flushed his entire blue face purple-red, while his eyes bulged outward from lack of oxygen.

"I'm not interested in your imperialist propaganda." Chu Hang's voice turned cold, every word like a shard of