Vers studied the partially disassembled payphone, her fingers working with practiced precision despite the primitive technology. Meanwhile, Arthur stood a few feet away, tending to his injuries. Every few seconds, flashes of white light emanated from his hands as the wounds she had inflicted on the mage gradually healed.
After casting the last healing spell, Arthur moved his joints with satisfaction. "Bloody brilliant," he muttered, relief evident in his voice. "No more pain." He briefly considered offering Vers healing but quickly dismissed the thought—she had barely a scratch from their fight. The beating he'd managed to give her hadn't penetrated her superhuman defenses. The only reason he'd won was his ability to subdue her with magic.
Minutes ticked by as Vers finally managed to establish a connection to Yon-Rogg and the other Kree using the modified payphone. Arthur observed quietly from nearby, baffled by how Earth technology could possibly connect to a Kree planet or spaceship millions of light-years away. It simply didn't make sense to him. Perhaps Tony Stark would have an explanation, but to Arthur, it seemed like a glaring plot hole in the universe's logic.
After a moment of static, the connection stabilized.
"Vers?" a voice came through with only minimal distortion. Arthur assumed this was Yon-Rogg, Vers's mentor and commander.
After brief verifications, Yon-Rogg continued, "Is everyone okay? What happened?"
"Skrull ambush," Vers replied tersely.
"I thought we'd lost you. Did you find Soh-Larr?" Concern was evident in Yon-Rogg's voice.
"It wasn't Soh-Larr," she explained. "Talos simmed him. Even knew his code."
"That's impossible," Yon-Rogg sounded genuinely surprised. "That code was buried in his unconscious."
"The Skrulls messed with my mind," Vers continued, touching her temple unconsciously. "The machine that they used... I think it's how they extracted Soh-Larr's code."
"Vers, where are you?"
"I'm on planet C-53," she replied, momentarily hesitating as she felt Arthur's watchful gaze. That brief pause was subtle but noticeable, yet she kept her voice steady, determined not to mention the mage as promised.
"The Skrulls are looking for someone named Lawson," she continued, trying to focus solely on her mission and not the strange mage observing her call.
"Who?" Yon-Rogg questioned.
Vers hesitated again, longer this time. "She's who I see..." she began, thinking of her recurring dreams. She caught herself, realizing what she was admitting.
"She's what?" Yon-Rogg pressed when she didn't immediately continue. "Vers?"
"She's a scientist," Vers recovered quickly. "They think that she's cracked the code on light-speed tech. I have to get to her before they do, or else they'll be able to invade new galaxies."
"No," Yon-Rogg commanded. "You've been caught once already. How far is C-53?"
A voice in the background responded, "Closest jump point is 22 hours."
"Vers, hold your position until we get there," Yon-Rogg instructed. "Keep your comms online so we can contact you."
"No! What if they get a hold of it before—" Vers began to protest, but the connection suddenly cut out.
"A long-distance company access code is required for the number you have dialed," an automated voice announced from the payphone.
"Yon-Rogg?" Vers called, frustration evident in her voice as she futilely jabbed at the buttons.
—
Light-years away aboard the Helion, Yon-Rogg's expression darkened as the communication cut off. "Vers?" he called again, uselessly. "Vers?"
He turned to face the others gathered in the command center—Minn-Erva, Korath, and several other Kree officers.
"If the Skrulls got to her, she's compromised," Korath stated matter-of-factly, his face impassive.
"She's stronger than you think," Yon-Rogg defended immediately, though a flicker of doubt crossed his features.
"Those hesitations were telling," Minn-Erva observed, her blue-skinned face emotionless but her eyes sharp with suspicion. "She's hiding something."
"She mentioned seeing this 'Lawson' in her mind," another officer noted. "What if she's remembering? The blocks might be failing."
"The Supreme Intelligence's work is flawless," Yon-Rogg insisted, though his tone lacked conviction.
"Is it?" Minn-Erva challenged quietly. "She's on her homeworld now. The familiarity alone could trigger memories."
"She's a weapon," Korath stated coldly. "A weapon that may be malfunctioning."
Silence fell over the group until Yon-Rogg spoke again, his voice tight with suppressed emotion. "We continue as planned. I will not abandon her based on mere suspicion."
"Then you'd better hope your faith is justified," Minn-Erva muttered, but quietly enough that Yon-Rogg could pretend not to hear.
—
Back on Earth, Arthur watched as Vers struggled with the now-disconnected phone, pounding it in frustration.
"You kept your word," he noted, approaching now that her call was finished. "Didn't mention me. Appreciate that."
Vers glanced at him, her expression guarded. "I keep my promises."
Arthur nodded, pleased with this development. He'd wanted to keep the existence of wizards a secret from the Kree and whoever else might be listening in on the call. It could have potentially derailed the plot, and the Kree might have arrived in greater force to fight what they perceived as a new threat.
"I couldn't help but overhear something," he said casually, leaning against the wall near the payphone. "This Lawson you mentioned… you see her? Like, in visions?"
Vers stiffened. "That's none of your business."
"Perhaps not," Arthur conceded. "But I might be able to help you out. Dreams can be rather significant, especially recurring ones. Bit of a specialty of mine, if I'm honest."
Vers studied him skeptically. Despite their earlier fight, something about this strange mage intrigued her. There was a knowing look in his eyes that suggested he understood more than he was letting on and could help her solve the mysteries plaguing her mind.
"Why would you want to help me?" she asked cautiously.
"Professional curiosity," Arthur replied with a shrug. "And perhaps a bit of an apology for how our introduction went. I didn't come looking for a brawl, you know. I would very much fancy making an alien friend. Not exactly something that happens every day, is it?"
Vers hesitated, then surprisingly found herself speaking. "I have these dreams... fragments of a life I don't remember. A woman named Lawson keeps appearing. Places I've never been." She paused, surprised at her own openness. "My commander says they're just dreams, but they feel... real."
Arthur's eyes lit up with interest. "What sort of places? Can you describe what you see?"
Vers carefully explained the fragments she saw in her dreams: flashes of a bar with pilots, a desert facility, a plane crash, and a woman with kind eyes who seemed important to her.
Arthur listened intently with a knowing look. He knew everything about her past but had to act in a way that would seem believable to Vers. "Those sound like more than ordinary dreams. In my experience, such vivid recurring dreams typically fall into one of three categories: prophetic visions of the future, tampered memories trying to reassert themselves, or forgotten memories resurfacing."
"Which do you think it is?" Vers asked, her voice quieter now.
Arthur considered carefully before responding. "Have you lost memories before? Any form of amnesia, perhaps?"
Vers looked startled by the question. "How did you know that?"
"Just an educated guess," Arthur replied with a small smile. "Am I right, then?"
After a moment's hesitation, Vers nodded. "I only have about six years' worth of memories. My commander told me I lost everything before that during a battle with the Skrulls. He said I was severely injured, that the enemy did something to my mind."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully, pretending to piece it together. "Then it's almost certainly the third option—your original memories trying to resurface. Your dreams aren't just dreams, they're fragments of your past breaking through whatever's blocking them. Quite extraordinary, really."
Vers fell silent, processing this information. It aligned with what she'd begun to suspect, but hearing it stated so plainly was unsettling.
"I could help you, you know," Arthur offered after giving her a moment. "We wizards have techniques for accessing and reading memories. I could potentially help you recover what you've lost, or at least confirm whether these dreams are genuine memories. Wouldn't take but a moment."
"No," Vers replied quickly, too quickly. "I don't want anyone in my head."
Arthur raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Just an offer. Your mind is your own. But a bit of advice, though—you should view whatever your commander says with a healthy dose of suspicion. They're definitely hiding something from you. Trust me on that."
Vers opened her mouth to ask something, but before she could speak, the distant wail of sirens caught their attention. Arthur glanced down the street to see flashing lights approaching—several police cars and black government vehicles that could only mean one thing: S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Ah, that's my cue to scarper," he said, straightening up. "This planet's authorities. I'd rather not deal with men in suits if it's all the same to you. I value my anonymity, see."
Vers looked toward the approaching vehicles, then back to Arthur. "You're just leaving?"
"For now," he confirmed with a slight bow. "But I'll find you again once you've given these new blokes the slip. You're going to have questions, and I might have some answers." He stepped back into the shadows between buildings. "See you later. Good luck!"
With a final nod, he melted back into the darkness, using a silent disillusionment charm just as the first police car screeched to a halt in the parking lot. Vers was left alone, facing a new set of unknowns, the strange encounter with the mage adding another layer of complexity to her already fractured reality.