Kamala Khan awoke with a gasp, her heart hammering violently in her chest. For a brief, disorienting moment, she wasn't sure if she was still dreaming. The image clung to her mind—a towering green figure standing within a pillar of swirling energy, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly calm. Around it, the world bent and shimmered as though time itself were unraveling.
Then came the red light—burning, pulsing, devouring everything. A figure wrapped in chaos and sorrow, her crimson aura blotting out the green one entirely. The sensation of hands—cold, powerful, unstoppable—closing around Kamala's throat had felt so real that even now, as she sat up, she could still feel the ache.
Sweat trickled down her temple. Her breathing came fast and uneven.
"You're awake."
Kamala looked up sharply. Across the dimly lit room, Blade Knight sat on a stool, his armor dimmed to avoid reflecting the emergency lights that flickered outside. His pale eyes glowed faintly—not human, not entirely mortal. "You were tossing in your sleep," he said, his tone flat but his gaze steady. "Something was… inside your head."
Kamala rubbed her forehead, still dazed. "It was just a dream," she muttered, trying to convince herself as much as him. "We've been running nonstop; maybe my brain's just… broken."
Blade didn't move. "No. This wasn't a normal dream." He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and measured. "The power that touched you… it wasn't your imagination. That was Wanda Maximoff—the Scarlet Witch."
Kamala's eyes widened. "Wanda? But she's—"
"Dead," Blade finished for her. "Or so we thought. But death doesn't seem to mean much anymore, does it?" His gaze turned distant, grim. "She's tied to the Queen of Death now—a conduit of her will. If she's reaching out to you, it means you're part of something she wants."
Kamala shivered. "She attacked me in the dream. It felt real. Like she was trying to—"
Before she could finish, a shrill alarm cut through the base. Red lights flooded the room. The floor shuddered under their feet as steel shutters slammed down over the windows.
"Warning," the automated voice blared. "All containment sectors on lockdown. Repeat—full Raft lockdown initiated."
Blade Knight drew his weapon, his calm expression hardening into battle readiness.
"She's not just in your head anymore," he said coldly, glancing toward the sealed door. "She's here."
•••
The soft hum of the Raft's engines was the only sound that filled the dimly lit room as I stared at the translucent interface hovering in front of me.
[Quest Log: Updated]
A faint smirk tugged at my lips. "Let's see what kind of nonsense reward the system gave me this time."
[Quest #2: Get involved with a lady from this planet]
Objective: Build a meaningful connection with a local female.
Reward: a...
Before I could finish reading, the entire structure shuddered violently. The glowing blue letters flickered, then vanished altogether.
"Warning," the automated voice blared. "All containment sectors on lockdown. Repeat—full Raft lockdown initiated."
A deafening klaxon blared through the halls. Red emergency lights flared to life, bathing everything in a warning glow.
Shalltear burst through the door a second later, already armed, crimson eyes scanning. "My Lord—!"
"I know," I said, standing quickly. "Something's wrong."
The Raft vibrated again, harder this time. A metallic groan echoed through the walls as the intercom crackled to life with Zemo's voice, calm yet strained.
"Attention, all remaining sectors—prepare for immediate lockdown. External pressure breach in quadrant five. The enemy is coming."
Kate appeared next, with Kamala and Yelena behind her. Blade Knight followed, already gripping his blade.
"What's happening?" Kamala asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Before I could answer, the intercom blared again. This time, Zemo's voice was directed at us specifically.
"To the group stationed in Sector D—Alastor, Shalltear, Blade Knight, Khan, Kate, and Yelena," he said slowly, almost regretfully. "I'm afraid… you've been selected."
"Selected for what?" Yelena frowned.
A pause. Then:
"For offering."
The floor beneath us jolted. Through the reinforced window, we could see massive turbines beginning to spin, steam hissing through the vents. The Raft's central chamber began to split apart—our entire section detached from the main structure.
"Zemo!" Kate shouted, slamming her fist on the wall console. "What the hell are you doing!?"
Zemo's voice came again, cold now. "Namor approaches. The Sub-Mariner demands tribute to spare the City on the Sea. He respects only strength… or sacrifice. You will buy us time."
The transmission cut.
Kamala looked at me, wide-eyed. "He's—he's sacrificing us?"
Yelena cursed under her breath. "Coward. He'll feed anyone to save his own hide."
The walls began to glow red as sealing bolts clicked into place. The air pressure shifted—the unmistakable sound of water rushing outside.
Shalltear's fangs were bared, her tone darkly amused. "How pitiful. Does he truly think he can trap my lord with this puny cage?"
I stepped toward the center of the cell, glancing upward. The vibrations were growing stronger—like something enormous was moving beneath us.
"Namor…" I muttered. "I was wondering when one of the big fish would show up."
Kate's hands clenched around her weapon, her voice trembling but defiant. "Then what do we do?"
I smiled.
"What we always do," I said. "We survive—and we make the ones who did this regret it."
Outside, the sound of the ocean roared. The cell detached completely, and we fell toward the black depths below.
~~~
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