Mutineers
“Have the probe go around the right to stay under their sensors.” Ward watched from the central viewing screen as his small probe shot out into space and then promptly attached itself onto the small ship he was currently dogging.
He had gotten pretty close , close enough for the move to be risky since he had heard that Maria Hill had gone rogue but so far they had not seen him or discovered him cloaked and watching.
It may have been because of the fact that they were currently preoccupied by the fact that “The Daredevil” had come from the surface of Neith and although they were not firing on each other, Ward wanted to find out just what was going on.
The viewing screen disappeared and was replaced by information that was pouring out of the hard drive of his probe. He hit a few buttons, hacking into the ships intelligence and visual systems.
An incredibly clear picture of the ship’s interior came over the screen and he flicked through the various rooms of the ship, taking note of the discreet weapons systems.
He stopped when he finally found the crew. Instead of being scattered they were all congregated in what looked like a makeshift interrogation room. The crew were standing around Foggy Nelson, he looked a little to cocky for the circumstances.
But whatever was going on, Ward found and locked onto his target, the Princess. She was standing next to a redheaded woman, Grant didn’t recognize her so he just moved on, debating on how well his chances would be if he were to take the princess out here and now versus wait and watch.
Also present was, just who he feared, Maria Hill. Next to her, standing arrogantly with their weapons raised was America Chavez and Clava. At them he sighed, there was no way he would be able to take them by surprise with that crew. He wondered why the hell Chavez was working with Hill and why was the princess involved in all of this shit.
He accessed the audio when Murdock appeared on a holographic table looking relaxed, a normal tactic of negotiation. The scene became instantly more loud in the cabin of his cruiser.
“What are you doing, foggy?” Murdock asked pleasantly.
Maria made to push him out of the captain’s line of sight but Foggy chuckled and said nervously, “You know me, irresistible. Little late aren’t you, Matt?”
Matt raised an eyebrow, “Hey, don’t blame me, I already had a plan it’s not my fault you decided to get kidnapped. Why are they kidnapping you? By the way.”
“Information, Murdock. You can have him back when we’re done with him.” Hill said abruptly.
“”When we’re done with him”? Jesus, Foggy, what did you get yourself into this time?” Daredevil shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing. “What do you want to know?”
Hill shook her head, “None of your business, Murdock.”
She made to end the transmission but Matt cut her off, “It will be my business when I take your ship apart piece by piece. Anything you want from him you can get from me.” His voice changed from light to severe quickly and it made Hill pause.
“What do have on the Anima Stone?” She asked almost hesitantly.
Ward cut off the audio and switched to his intelligence systems, watching the symbols racing across his eyes smoothly. He searched for the item they were talking about and read everything there was about it.
A mythical item that was surrounded by the ruins of the ancient ones. It was supposed to have been the pinnacle of what they achieved. Their gift to whoever needed it in the future. It was supposed to have been surrounded by tests and puzzles to weed out unworthy candidates of the stone’s power. There was no known location or galaxy coordinates.
In all, there had been around two hundred different individuals that had gone after the power of the stone. All of them disappeared, their lives, their ships, their crews and even their information had been wiped clean. Most brushed this off, however, stating that whatever goose chase they were on led straight to a black hole.
Granted, he thought, none of those people whether they had been explorers, pirates, treasure hunters, or paid crews for a government, had never come from Pacis itself, which, according to legend was where the decedents of the ancient ones resided. A possible reason behind their superior technology despite being such a young species.
Of course, pirates were going after this thing, so many before them had, and yet it still didn’t explain the strange group that had apparently come together for this legend. However, he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t slightly curious and intrigued by the idea of having the power over life and death.
He snapped out of his thoughts when Hill, from the screen, pulled out a gun. But rather than pointing it at Nelson she was pointing it at the redhead that he didn’t know. He tapped into the audio again.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hill sneered.
His interest peeked when he realized that the princess had moved behind the stranger while America and Clava stood behind Hill. Nelson was making an exaggerated face of discomfort but he was transported away a second later, no doubt onto the Daredevil.
Ward switched off the audio again and moved the screen to the front viewer and he watched carefully as the dark red ship moved away quickly, headed for the Andromeda galaxy. When he was sure that they were gone he switched yet again to the confrontation on board Hill’s ship.
The redhead was backing away from the captain and he didn’t blame her by the look in Hill’s eyes. He turned the audio back on.
“You have five minutes to get the hell off my ship before I kill you on the spot. I don’t tolerate mutineers.
The redhead paused looking the captain in the eye but then she dropped her weapon to her side and turned away. Ward wouldn’t have cared except for the fact that the Princess, his target, turned away with the stranger.
Hill stopped her, “Stay with us if you want to live.”
The princess shook her head and pulled her arm out of the captain’s grip, “I’m going with Natasha.” She stated and left.
Ward raised an eyebrow, Natasha… Who was this unknown woman? She didn’t come up on any of Hill’s known people and she wasn’t on Fury’s bridge crew. As far as he knew, she was nobody.
.
.
.
“Get out.”
The door to the tiny shuttle craft slid shut as Hill looked down and then left them alone in the craft. Natasha sighed, her arm leaning on the edge of the shuttle door, her face heavy and her eyes sad.
The shuttle lifted off and left the small docking area of Hill’s ship and Natasha moved away from the door and sat in one of the small chairs in the cabin.
The shuttle was just an emergency pod essentially so it was equipped with one small bunk, a viewing screen, very limited sensors and no weapons save for what the pilot decided to bring on board.
Darcy had remained unnaturally quiet as the pirate dropped her face in her hand and breathed in and out slowly as if to calm herself down. Darcy moved next to her however and watched her closely. After a few minutes she couldn’t hold back the words any longer.
“So what are we gonna do?”
Natasha looked up at the princess. She knew that she felt bad for the pirate’s circumstances and she knew that Darcy had taken a risk to stay with her but she also couldn’t deny the fact that she was trying to hide a smile.
Natasha pushed herself up on her elbows and sighed, looking out into the void. “Well, I guess I’m going to go to Tah’woh, they usually have work available that suit my specialties. If I don’t get murdered I might be able to work my way onto another ship, if I’m lucky, a smuggling vessel.”
Darcy’s eyes scrunched up slightly, “What about the stone?”
“What about it?” The redhead asked dryly.
“Aren’t we going to try to go get it before they do?”
The pirate’s voice raised and the frustration was showing clearly on her face, “I’m not going after that damned stone! You heard Murdock, it’s probably just a myth anyway and I’m so sick and tired of putting my life on the line for something that doesn’t exist and even if it did and I wanted to go after it, there is no way we would be able to get to it before Hill.”
“I thought you were going to help me..” Darcy’s voice was hurt and she looked like she had tears in her eyes.
Natasha groaned, “If you wanted the stone you should have stayed with Hill.”
“Well, what am I going to do?”
“You can go with her if you want, next planet we come across I’ll let you have this shuttle and you can go after her, I’m sure she’d take you back.”
“I’m not going with Hill, I’m here with you and I thought you wanted to help me?”
“Why though!? I’m sorry I’m not everything you dreamed of when you thought about escaping I really am but this dream—“ She made a generalized gesture “Isn’t real.”
“But I don’t want to die…” Darcy was crying now, wiping away the tears quickly in a mixture of anger and fear of the unknown.
“Nobody does, princess. So I suggest, if you want to live out the rest of your “Short” life, you go somewhere safe and live a happy life, burdened by your own mortality like the rest of us.”
Natasha, despite the guilt boiling in her chest, didn’t take back her words and instead stood up and began to pace around the tiny shuttle. It wasn’t like they would be able to get away from each other.
She was fuming and Darcy was crying but she stopped her pacing nonetheless when she caught a glimpse of something in the view screen. Without thinking about it she grabbed the princess and pulled her to the back of the shuttle just as a stunning weapon hit the shuttle and everything that wasn’t bolted down hit the ground.
Natasha pulled her to the ground and covered her as some panels sparked and the first aid kits fell ironically on top of them.
When the shaking stopped and the lights of the shuttle were completely broken the distinct sounds of a transporter filled the tiny space. Natasha and Darcy looked up to see a strange man standing arrogantly over them.
He looked on them with pity and pulled out a gun, pointing it at the women, specifically at Natasha’s head since she was currently covering the princess.
“Princess Darcekanequinama, The Pacis government does not tolerate traitors and you have been sentence to execution without trial. Any last words will be sent to your family as will your remains. DO you have anything to say for yourself, princess?