I feel like I'm going to die.
I've been memorizing so much lately.
I don't know how much longer we can hold out.
Everyone in the laboratory fell silent.
Tony spoke first.
"Alright. Let's go with his choice. Let's call it a day. Everyone's been lacking sleep for a while."
The group gradually left the laboratory.
In the following days, the SSC base entered a long-awaited state of relaxation.
Tony and Pepper found an open space on the hill behind the base and set up a temporary campsite.
"Consider it a team-building activity. I'll pay, you guys provide the manpower. Don't try to save money with me, I'm rich."
On Saturday morning, everyone gradually arrived at the back of the mountain.
Tony brought a whole set of outdoor barbecue equipment, from grills to coolers to a case of craft beer, filling the trunks of two cars. Pepper was directing him on where to put it, and although Tony complained, his hands never stopped moving.
Banner, wearing a plaid shirt and a fisherman's hat, squatted by the creek studying the fish in the water. Scott went over to watch for a while, and Banner pulled him over so they each took a fishing rod, and the two of them squatted by the creek fishing for the whole morning.
Thor took off his shirt, revealing his round belly, and played frisbee with Rhodey on the grass. He could never throw the frisbee in the right direction, Rhodey ran around for ages without catching a single one, until he was so tired he just lay down on the grass and wouldn't get up.
"You're not answering because you're lazy," Thor said.
Rhodey lay on the ground, unwilling to move, but his mouth never stopped.
"I didn't catch it because your frisbee can curve."
Ivan sat in the shade of a tree, a small generator and a pile of parts in front of him, tinkering with something.
When asked, he said he was making an automatic grill rack, "So I don't have to keep watching it."
Carol sat on a distant hillside, hugging her knees, watching the group of people making a ruckus below.
Lynn sat under a large tree at the edge of the camp, leaning against the trunk, looking at Natasha not far away.
Natasha was sitting with Pepper, the two women chatting and laughing occasionally. Pepper said something, Natasha looked down at her fingernails, and then they both laughed again.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on Natasha's hair.
Lynn watched for a while, then got up and walked over.
What are you talking about?
"We're talking about you."
Pepper stood up, brushing the grass clippings off her skirt. "I'll go check on Tony."
After she left, Natasha patted the spot next to her.
Lynn sat down and put his arm around her shoulder.
Scott's shouts came from the distant creek, as if he had caught a big fish. Banner's voice followed closely behind, telling him to keep his voice down so as not to scare the fish away.
By evening, the grill was finally lit.
Tony's steak was charred on the outside but raw on the inside, and Pepper complained about it for ages. Banner's vegetable skewers, on the other hand, were surprisingly delicious. Rhodey and Scott almost got into a fight over the last piece of rib, but Ivan quietly took another one from the automatic grill and handed it to them, which finally calmed them down.
As darkness fell, someone placed a portable speaker next to the grill. The music wasn't loud, but it carried far on the night breeze, mixed with the chirping of insects and the sound of a stream.
Thor, drunk, sat by the campfire recounting his hunting adventures in Asgard. As he spoke, he began gesturing wildly, nearly slapping Scott, who was sitting next to him, away.
Tony and Pepper leaned against each other, Pepper's head resting on his shoulder, watching the campfire and exchanging a few words now and then.
Lynn and Natasha sat at the outermost edge of the camp, their backs to everyone, gazing at the distant ridgeline. The moon rose, its silvery light spreading across the grass and bathing everything in a soft glow.
Natasha didn't speak. She reached out and took Lynn's hand.
The campfire crackled behind us, and laughter drifted intermittently from afar.
The team-building activity lasted for two days.
The next afternoon, everyone gradually packed their things and prepared to go home.
Lynn stood at the edge of the camp when Natasha walked over, holding two bottles of water, and handed him one.
"Shall we go?" she said.
"Um."
The two walked side by side down the mountain.
Life at the base returned to normal.
Days passed by like this.
No alarms, no missions, no intruders.
Two weeks later, one morning, Lynn woke up earlier than Natasha.
He lay in bed, looking at Natasha beside him.
Her sleeping face was peaceful, her breathing even, and one hand rested on his arm.
Lynn gently removed her hand, got up, and dressed.
He stood by the bed and looked at her for a long time.
Then he bent down and touched her forehead.
It's very light.
Lynn walked out of the bedroom and closed the door.
He stood in the living room, silent for a moment. Then he walked to the window, picked up his phone, and dialed a number.
JARVIS.
"Yes, sir."
"Find Carol's current location for me."
" Carol Vers is currently in dormitory B at base. Should I notify her?"
"No need. I'll go myself."
Lynn hung up the phone, grabbed her coat, and went out.
The corridors of dormitory area B are very quiet.
When Lynn found Carol's room, the door was ajar. He knocked twice, but there was no response. He pushed the door open, and Carol was sitting in a chair by the window, holding a photograph in her hand, looking at something.
She looked up when she heard the noise, saw it was Lynn, and put the photo away.
"What's wrong?"
Lynn sat down on the chair by the door and looked at her.
"Come on, let me show you what you've done."
Carol frowned.
"What's up?"
You'll know when you get there.
Carol stared at him for a moment, then stood up and picked up his coat, which was draped over the back of the chair.
Let's go.
Lynn nodded and turned to walk out.
The portal's orange sparks burst forth in the open space behind the base.
Lynn and Carol came out one after the other.
Beneath my feet lay a desolate, rocky plain. The sky was a deep purple, and in the distance, several low metal buildings loomed in and out of sight in the dim light. A dry, dusty smell permeated the air.
"Where is this?" Carol looked around.
"Come with me."
Lynn stretched out her hand, a pale blue light emanating from her fingertips. The light spread out, enveloping the two of them like a thin veil. Carol looked down at herself; her figure had become blurred and transparent.
"Walk."
Lynn walked along the gravel path at a leisurely pace. Carol followed behind.
The two men walked through a pile of collapsed metal rubble and came to a bunker that was half-buried underground.
Carol slowed her pace.
The corridor inside the bunker was long, with narrow rooms on both sides. Lynn walked ahead, his steps steady, as if he were taking a stroll in his own home. Carol followed behind, her gaze involuntarily sweeping over the rooms on either side.
She saw a child.
A green face, large eyes, and an unhealed scar on his forehead. He was curled up in a woman's arms, who gently patted his back and hummed something silently. The child's lips were purple, and his breathing was shallow.
Carol paused for a moment.
She didn't say anything, she just kept walking.
At the end of the corridor was a half-open iron door. Lynn pushed the door open and went inside.
It was a huge underground hall, at least the size of a basketball court. The hall was packed with Skrulls.
Some sat on the floor, some leaned against the wall, and some squatted in the corner. No one spoke. A dull, oppressive silence filled the hall, like the low pressure before a storm.
A row of metal crates was piled up on one side of the hall. The crates were open and filled with various weapons.
Energy rifles, explosive devices, and other equipment she couldn't name. Several Skrulls were maintaining the weapons, their movements practiced and silent.
On the other side of the wall hung a huge map. It wasn't a star map, but a map of the Earth.
Dozens of coordinate points were marked in red: New York, London, Tokyo, Moscow, Beijing... Each coordinate point was accompanied by a date and code.
A Skrulls stood in front of the map and spoke to the crowd below. His voice echoed in the hall, muffled but audible.
"... There are eight billion humans on Earth, plus the SSC. We only have one million people. We have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. So we can't fight; we can only infiltrate."
He patted the map showing New York.
"Phase One: Replace humans in key positions—government, military, and research institutions. Phase Two: Create chaos, inciting humans to fight amongst themselves. Phase Three..."
" Gravik has already infiltrated with a portion of his tribe. Our next plan is..."
His voice was then drowned out by a low hum.
Carol looked at the map, at the dense red markers on it.
These plans, these weapons, this child who grew up in an underground bunker.
She turned her head and looked at Lynn.
Lynn's expression remained calm. He didn't look at her, but simply stood beside her, watching everything below with her.
He didn't speak.
Carol turned her gaze back to the hall.
The child broke free from the woman's arms, ran to the weapons box, and reached out to touch it.
Carol closed her eyes.
The two of them walked out the way they came.
A deep purple wind, carrying sand and dust, swept towards him. Carol stood outside the bunker, silent for several seconds.
Lynn looked at her.
"So, our great cosmic detective? Any thoughts after seeing these?"
Carol didn't reply immediately. The wind blew from behind her, making her hair stick to her cheeks. She gazed at the gray-purple sky in the distance, and after a long while, she finally spoke.
"Take me to them. Those who have already infiltrated Earth. I need to talk to them."
Lynn didn't ask any further questions.
An orange portal opened up across the wasteland.
The two people walked in one after the other.
New York, Brooklyn.
In an ordinary residential neighborhood, the streetlights had just come on in the evening. The aroma of cheese wafted from the pizzeria on the street, and several children chased and played on the sidewalk.
Lynn and Carol appeared in an alley.
Lynn's invisibility still covered the two of them. They walked up the stairs and through the corridor like two non-existent shadows.
On the third floor, Lynn pushed open the door without knocking.
In the living room, a Skrulls looked like a middle-aged human was sitting on the sofa watching television. Hearing the noise, he turned his head sharply, his hand already reaching for the weapon at his waist.
He saw Carol.
The television screen showed a talk show, and the audience's laughter came from the speakers, creating an absurd contrast with the silence in the living room.
The Skrulls slowly removed his hand from his waist.
He looked in the direction where Carol was standing, his expression complex.
"You've come," he said.
"Where is Gravik?" Carol asked.
The Skrulls were silent for a few seconds.
How do you know about Gravik?
"I saw your people, I saw your weapons, I saw that map."
You shouldn't have gone there.
"But he's already gone." Carol walked up to him. "Now can you tell me where Gravik is?"
"What you up to?"
"Talk to him."
The Skrulls looked in the direction she was standing, his gaze filled with an indescribable emotion.
After a long time, he sighed.
" Chicago... he has a base there."
Carol nodded.
She turned and walked out.
She paused when she reached the door.
"I won't break my promise again." She didn't turn around.
The talk show on TV was still playing, and the audience's laughter came in waves.
In the alley, Carol leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.
"Let's go," she said, "To Chicago."
Lynn opened the portal.
Orange sparks danced in the twilight, reflecting off Carol's face.
She stepped inside.
Lynn followed behind.
The portal closed, and the alleyway fell silent again.
Chicago, South Side.
An abandoned slaughterhouse, with most of the brickwork peeling off its exterior walls to reveal blackened steel bars underneath. From the outside, it looks no different from any other abandoned building in the city.
It was much cleaner inside than outside. Several industrial lights hung on the corridor walls, casting a dim but steady glow. The air smelled of disinfectant mixed with the rusty smell of metal.
At the end of the corridor was a converted office. The door was ajar, and voices could be heard coming from inside.
Lynn pushed open the door.
Gravik stood behind a long table, discussing something with several Skrulls. Several documents were spread out on the table, and a laptop sat beside it, its screen displaying what appeared to be the internal system interface of some municipal government.
He looked up.
The moment he saw Carol, his hand pressed a button under the table.
The doors on both sides of the corridor opened simultaneously, and six Skrulls rushed in, weapons at the sight of Carol standing.
Gravik simply stared at the doorway, not speaking immediately. After a few seconds, he waved his hand.
"Everyone, get out."
The six Skrulls hesitated for a moment, then slowly retreated. The door closed behind them.
Gravik looked in the direction where Carol was standing, his eyes deep and serious.
"Have you finally finished something more important?" he said.
Carol remained silent.
"More than twenty years! At the beginning, we still had hope. But later we stopped waiting."
He picked up the document on the table, glanced at it, and then put it down.
Do you know how we've lived all these years? Do you know how many of our people have died?
Carol didn't say anything.
"You do not know!"
"You promised us you would find a home. Unfortunately, you didn't."
He tossed the file back onto the table and looked up.
"If you can't do it, then I'll do it myself."