It's night.

Owls are hooting.

The ground is steaming with fog.

And...are those real or implants?

Marlo has been running through the woods for quite sometime now. The killer monster of the Black Forest has been chasing her for miles. Marlo pants as her body kicks it into overdrive, ignoring the lactic acid causing her legs to ache.

She hears the faint sounds of the monster's grunts behind her. She looks back, gasping when she sees the furry creature running with its arms and legs - like some sort of ape monster.

"RRAAAGHRRR!!!!"

"Oh God!" Marlo shrieks. She keeps on running away, pushing sharp branches out of her face. She shouts in pain as her hair gets caught up in a leafless branch. She grits her teeth and pulls her hair away, pulling some of it out in the process.

Marlo looks back again, only to trip on an unearthed tree root. Her hand rushes to her temple, she brings her bloodstained fingers to eye level. She spits mud out of her mouth and picks herself up, running even further.

She slows down, realizing she no longer hears the monster behind her. She puts her hand on her hips, exhaling. Her breath is like a cloud of smoke in the brisk, autumn air. She looks behind her once more.

Nothing.

The fog is more dense than before.

Marlo breathes rhythmically as she shivers from fear. By now, the fog has become so thick, she can't see six inches from her face.

Suddenly, Marlo feels a sharp push from behind, causing her to fall face first onto the forest floor, scraping her hands on broken limbs and rocks.

The monster pounces on her, roaring savagely. Marlo screams. She tries to punch the wild creature in the face, but it's only making it angrier.

*BLAM*

Blood splatters on Marlo's face. "Huh...wha--?" she sputters in confusion.

The monster falls on top of Marlo, dead. She wiggles her way out from underneath the monster, picking herself up. "Who...who's there?"

From within the dense fog, Marlo sees someone flick a cigarette lighter. Then she sees a silhouette of someone.

"Don't worry. It won't bother you anymore," the voice says, almost whispering.

"Who are you?" Marlo asks, brushing the dirt off of her shirt and torn pants.

The man, dressed in military fatigues, brandishing a hunting rifle, steps in front of Marlo. He has a shaved head and a patch over his right eye. Part of his left ear is missing.

"Angie...I'm your long-lost twin brother...fraternal twin, that is."

"Oh!" Marlo screams, jumping into the man's arms.

"Aaaaaannndddd CUT! That's a wrap!" a man with a loudspeaker shouts. Various crew members of the on-location Monster Books set burst into applause, some of them whistling.

Marlo slaps the military man in the face, "Watch it, Frank. Your hands were roaming south of the border."

The actor blushes, "Sorry."

The actor playing the monster stands up, removing his prosthetic face pieces. He sighs, "Sweet, no more of the eight hour a day make-up. I really hate being typecast as monsters. That, and goddamn lawyers."

The director walks up to Marlo and hugs her. "To bad Rick couldn't be here, huh?"

"What? Oh...yeah."

"What was it he was involved in?"

"Oh, it was a uh...an overseas publicity thing."

"That must have been some project for ol' Rick. Is he jump-starting his singing career?"

Marlo's hand rushes to her forehead. "Huh? I...I don't know. Maybe. Look, Bill, I gotta...sit down...I've been working for so long...need a break."

The truth was, Rick wasn't nearly as far away as just overseas. He was in another universe. He was in the Microverse. Marlo hasn't heard from him for weeks, namely because Rick's molecular bond with Captain Marvel was now gone somehow.

Bill puts his hand on Marlo's shoulder, pulling her into his arms for a hug. "Take all the time you need, hun. You deserve it."

Marlo grabs her jacket off a chair and zips it up. The Montana autumn nights were starting to get chilly. She continues down the wooded path to her trailer. She opens the door and walks in, plopping herself onto the couch.

She leans over and opens the mini-frige, taking out a half-eaten ham sandwich.

"You're gonna have to stay out of the cold, Marlo," Lorraine says, casually hovering towards the red-tressed actress. Lorraine observes the large bites Marlo is taking out of the sandwich. "Especially now that you're eating for two."

Marlo takes her free hand and gently rubs her stomach. "I just want to relax...I've been working nonstop since Rick went to Padcros. I'm just glad this movie is finally over."

"Oh, but you've got promotions and talk shows to do yet."

Marlo grips her forehead, "Don't say that. I'm tired. And cranky. Is there any ice cream left?"

"You ate it all, remember? You were ever-so-kindly reminding me that I couldn't eat by going 'mmm' every time you downed a spoonful of Rocky Road. Bitch."

Marlo curls up in a ball on the couch and whimpers, "Can you get me some more?"

"Sure, I'll just dress up like the Invisible Woman and demand a truck load of ice cream. No one can see or hear me but you, Ms. Chandler."

Tears well up in Marlo's eyes. "I wish Rick was here..."

Lorraine sighs, lighting a cigarette. "Did you tell anyone yet?"

"I just said Rick was overseas. People would freak if I told them he was in a universe smaller than a hydrogen atom."

"No, I mean about the bread in the oven."

"The bread's in the freezer, where it's always been--"

"Your baby, dimwit!"

"Oh...no."

"Well, you better tell someone quick."

"Why does everything have to be announced? Can't I just...live my life in privacy?" Marlo grabs a tissue and unleashes a barrage of mucus.

"Not in the life of fame. You need to announce you're pregnant, or else Entertainment Tonight will have a cover story in nine months about how fat you've gotten. I've seen it a thousand times. Careers have been lost."

Marlo rolls her eyes, "Shut up...they wouldn't stoop that low. They'd need my consent to do a cover story about me. And anyways...I hate that Mary Hart. Always so 'Hi, I'm like a hundred years old, but I'm still hot, so booyah!' "

Lorraine exhales smoke, "You never know."

"And stop smoking. It's not good for the baby."

Lorraine glares at Marlo. "This ain't real smoke. It's just some sort of psychic manifestation...just goes to show you that nicotine is highly addictive...even after you die from the lung cancer."

"You didn't die of lung cancer."

"I know, but if I did, I'd probably still be smokin'."

"I wonder if I can see other dead people. I could have my own show like John Edward."

"Except you're for real. You'd be having so many sessions...you'd have like no time for Rick or the baby."

"Yeah, but think of the money!"

"*sigh*"

NORAD - Peterson AFB, Colorado...

Various government employees are running around a monitoring facility. It was like the NYSE, except slightly less hectic. There wasn't a stupid bell didn't sound off every time NASDAQ crapped out money or whatever.

"This can't be right," a man with earmuff headphones says as a cigarette dangles from his lips. He is monitoring tens of thousands of man-made craft currently orbiting Earth over North American airspace. About one-thousand of the satellites have just stopped functioning. "Oh...oh shit..."

"What is it, Bill?" a husky man in a tight collared shirt asks. He wipes sweat off his balding head with a handkerchief.

Bill gulps, loosening his tie. "I don't know, Fred...uh...there appears to be a major problem here..."

Fred peers closer to the monitor Bill is observing. Sweat accumulates on his brow once more, dripping down the bridge of his nose. He sputters words in fragments. Finally, Fred gets his act together and manages to spit out--

"I NEED TO CHANGE MY PANTS!!"

The other workers suddenly stop their work and stare at Fred. Bill nervously peers over his monitor. "Um...I think Fred wanted to say 'Call the Pentagon, there's a bunch of asteroids headed for the Midwest.' "

"Y-yeah...what he said," an embarrassed Fred answers, standing in an awkward position. He rubs his chin, while trying to hide the fact his butt cheeks were...um...sliding unnaturally. "I'll be right back," he says as he storms into the men's room.

Avengers Mansion - Manhattan, New York...

"...Yes, I'll be sure to oblige, Mr. Secretary of Defense," Jarvis says cordially as he turns off the videophone.

"What is it?" Captain America asks.

"Apparently, Captain, there are asteroids hurtling towards the American Midwest at this very moment."

Captain America looks to his side in deep thought.

"Captain?" Jarvis asks.

"Contact Genis. He's the only Avenger capable of orbital flight. The other Avengers are busy at the moment...tell him the others will be there to back him up ASAP."

"Very good, sir."

*BEEP*

"...ungh..."

*BEEP*

"...shut up..."

*BEEP*

"...damn it..."

*BEEP*

"...not now..."

*BEEP*

"...I don't think I can go to school..."

*BEEP*

"...stomach cramps..."

Genis falls out of his pullout bed at the Jounces' apartment. He blinks, picking the dried up mucus out of the corners of his eyes.

He sighs, "I don't remember setting the alarm...it's like midnight..."

Suddenly, Genis realizes it isn't the alarm clock that's beeping. He reaches into a hidden pocket in his costume, pulling out a small comm-link. He presses the "A" with a circle around it.

"Welcome to McDonald's, our specials today are--"

"Mr. Vell, my deepest apologies for waking you."

"Jarvis? What is it?"

"We were just informed by the Secretary of Defense that there are thousands of asteroids hurtling for Earth, specifically the Midwest. Captain America has informed me to instruct you to handle this threat while more help arrives soon."

Genis concentrates, as a blue light surrounds his body, turning his skin dark as night. His blonde hair turns white as tiny nebulas, clusters, and stars appear in the shadows of his darkened skin - his cosmic awareness was now activated. "Asteroids?! Yeah, send in the Kree with nega-bands."

"Well, they were instructions from--"

"I'm just messin' with you, Jar Jar. I think it's a side effect of being bonded with Rick...or...uh...yeah. Nevermind. Tell the other Cap that Cap's on it."

Captain Marvel slips the comm-link back into his pocket, rocketing out of the apartment eastward...

{{"...thousands of meteors are headed straight for the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and the Dakotas..."}}

"Crap," Lorraine says as she watches the television while Marlo sleeps in the bed of her trailer. "At least we're in Montana--"

{{"We're told by scientist Reed Richards that if these meteors impact in the predicted locations, the entire North American continent would be engulfed by a giant fire ball..."}}

"What?! That's not fair!" Lorraine shouts.

Marlo wakes up, snorting. "Wha--? Wha...where? Huh?"

"There's a bunch of meteors headed for the Midwest."

"So?"

"The meteors are pieces of very large asteroids."

Marlo begins shivering.

Lorraine tries to put a blanket on Marlo, but her hands phase through the cloth. She concentrates harder, eventually getting a grip on it. She flings it around Marlo's shoulders.

Marlo's teeth chatter, but she manages to ask, "Why didn't they see these things coming?"

"...a very interesting question, Marl'. With space-nerds like the Fantastic Four around...this thing should have been noticed years in advance."

"OKAY!!!!" Genis shouts as he hovers in orbit while hundreds of thousands of rock formations slowly crawl their way through space towards Earth. "WHERE THE HELL DID THESE THINGS COME FROM?!"

{{I am guessing somewhere between Mars and Jupiter...in the Asteroid Belt,}} a voice speaks to Captain Marvel through his earpiece.

"Well, I know that--wait, who the hell is this? Only Avengers can access this frequency!"

{{A friend. Listen to me if you want to stop this.}}

Genis peers into the open and sees a massive ship covered with a cloaking device. It was Greymalkin II, the base of operations of the mutant outlaw, Cable. Only because of his cosmic awareness is Captain Marvel able to see it.

He looks back at the antigravity stampede of mountain-sized rocks. He charges his nega-bands with energy. "I don't need your help!"

{{I beg to differ, son of Mar-Vell.}}

"How did you--? Get off this frequency NOW!!"

{{You are young and inexperienced, Genis-Vell.}}

"What are you? Cosmic commentary?! Back off! I've got work to do!"

Genis' body cackles with energy as he focuses photonic energy through his nega-bands and into the cluster of meteors. The resulting blast causes a chain reaction of impacts between the various meteors.

However, the said chain-reaction causes some satellites to get damaged.

Genis grunts in frustration. "GROZIT!"

{{That's the Kree word for--}}

"Yeah, I'm well aware of that, pal. Alright smart guy...what should I do?"

{{"Captain Marvel? This is Colonel Fury of SHIELD. What the hell just happened? Four of our defense satellites were just knocked out!"}}

"One at a time! I'm trying the best I can--"

{{"Your best is--"}}

"--Isn't good enough. Yeah, gotcha."

{{"Don't finish my sentences, you damn kid!!!"}}

I really wish Rick was here, Genis thinks to himself. "What's the status down there?" Genis asks Fury.

{{"We've got downed satellite crash sites all over the globe. Your teammates, the Avengers, are handling it as best they can. For now, you're the only one who can deal with protecting the International Space Station."}}

"10-4," Genis confirms while pressing his earpiece.

Cap flies at sublight speeds, skillfully dodging pieces of damaged satellites. He reaches the space station and jabs his fists into any stray rock that comes towards the defenseless - and unfinished - post.

Genis notices he is causing another chain reaction, a weightless domino effect. Even more satellites will be damaged if he doesn't think fast. Concentrating his cosmic awareness, Genis' vision is altered--

Mundane asteroids not posing a threat are highlighted in a dark pink tone. Threatening asteroids are glowing orange. Satellites (and asteroids that could potentially hit them) light up with a blue color.

Genis unleashes a barrage of blasts on the asteroids glowing orange and times his blasts on the blue asteroids to strike them the exact instant they turn to orange.

*THOOM*

"I--"

*THOOM*

"am--"

*THOOM*

"not--"

*THOOM*

"an--"

*THOOM*

"inexperienced--"

*THOOM*

"rookie--"

*THOOM*

"anyone--"

*THOOM*

"who--"

*THOOM*

"thinks--"

*THOOM*

"otherwise--"

*THOOM*

"can--"

*THOOM*

"kiss--"

*THOOM*

"my--"

*THOOM*

"ASS!!!!"

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

*THOOM*

Suddenly, the meteors have been pulverized into rocks no smaller than a truck.

Genis pants, leaning against the International Space Station for a brief moment. A bright light shines in the corner of his right eye. He turns to see a massive asteroid hurtling for the Moon.

That's a quarter the size of Earth's Moon! If that things hits, it could...screw up the tides and such...and maybe make women bitches twice a month or something!!!

Genis flies in the flight path of the asteroid, anxiously awaiting the pain. "You'd think Mars would block some of these? Take one for the whole proverbial solar system team."

Cap expects Rick to laugh or make some witty remark, but there is nothing but silence.

A large shadow envelops Genis, but his cosmic awareness makes him see nothing but bright orange.

*CRUNCH!*

"ARGH!!!" Genis yells as his Kree muscles are strained to their limits; even with the nega-bands increasing his strength on an Asgardian level.

His forearms have been completely plunged into the rock formation. Energy envelops his entire body. Veins bulge out of his arms, neck, and forehead.

Suddenly, the asteroid loses its orange shade and turns light blue. Genis looks down at the Moon's surface, which is getting larger by the minute - it was light blue as well.

"No...," he pleads. "Come on..."

The asteroid begins to crack under the pressure of Genis' strength and the lunar gravitational field.

As the Sun's corona peaks around Earth, Genis gets an idea. Using his mastery of photonic particles via the nega-bands, he uses the Sun's light to boost his photonic shields.

Captain Marvel creates a shield around the asteroid, climbing inside the shield.

"Okay...this better work."

{{"Captain? What's goin' on? You're breaking--" *shh*}}

While inside the shield, Genis rapidly zips around the asteroid, creating a friction zone around it. Under the heat of the friction, the asteroid begins to crumble and reduce in size. As the asteroid continues to head for the Moon, a giant ray of energy blasts the orb of energy containing the asteroid out of the Moon's path.

Genis is flung from the orb he created and crash lands on the lunar surface, nothing but a mushroom cloud of lunar dust can be seen...

From within Greymalkin II, Cable sits at the console, breathing a sigh of relief.

"He held that thing long enough for me to target and blast it."

{{The legends were right about him,}} Prosh observes.

{{"Apparently, if what I'm reading is correct...Captain Marvel lost contact with SHIELD twenty minutes ago after trying to deflect a colossal asteroid headed for the Moon..."}}

A tear rolls down Marlo's cheek as she holds the blanket tightly around her body.

"I'm sure he's alright. He's invulnerable, right?"

"He's not God...," Marlo sobs.

"...Great big gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts...mutilated monkey butts...little birdie dirty toes...wait, that doesn't rhyme...and I forgot my spoon," Genis sings groggily to himself.

Genis blinks for a few moments, finding he can't move.

"...Grozit...I'm paralyzed..."

He moves his fingers, then his toes. He smiles and immediately checks to see if his "bits and pieces" were unharmed.

"By Pama...no!" Genis picks up his totaled comm-link device. "Pym gets pissed when he has to replace these..."

Cap picks himself out of his own crater and dusts himself off. He realizes his forehead is bleeding. He gets an uncomfortable feeling in his ear and uses his pinkie to wrench out what was left of his earpiece.

He peers off into the distance, away from Earth. He senses a space-time tear between the orbital paths of Mars and Earth.

Someone sent those asteroids through a worm hole! That's why no one could have seen them coming!

Genis knew in his soul something bigger was coming. This was just the beginning!

*TOOT*

Genis blushes.

"Good thing there's no sound in space. No one heard that," Genis tells himself.

"I heard it."

Cap whips around to see Uatu the Watcher. "Gah, don't sneak up on me like that! You got the bug eyes, man. Freaky."

Silence.

Captain Marvel scratches his head.

Uatu coughs slightly.

Genis nods.

Uatu nods back.

"I know you're not supposed to break your pledge of not interfering with Earth's fate and everything, but--" Genis begins.

"It was the Mig-Na'cha who sent those asteroids," Uatu responds. "But you already knew that, so technically I did not break any rules."

Genis laughs, "Just wanted a second opinion, I guess, since I...y'know crash landed here...and saved your ass."

"Yes...thank you, Genis-Vell, for saving me. Even despite the fact you didn't even remember I - or the Inhumans - lived on Earth's Moon, I thank you."

"No, I knew...I just...it didn't cross my mind, is all."

Uatu folds his arms.

"Come on, You-ate-who, cut me some slack here."

"Uatu. Pronounce it correctly, please."

"Oh...sorry." Genis bites his lip. "This convo is just kinda dragging on and on, don't you think?"

"Just go, then."

"Fine, I will!"

Captain Marvel gets an curious look on his face.

Uatu taps his foot impatiently, "What?"

"So, you've seen Britney Spears naked, right? I was wondering--"

"GO HOME, GENIS!"

"What about Jennifer Love Hewitt? She's kinda annoying, but you'd just love to tap that--"

"NOW!"

Genis wipes spit from his face. "Mmkay." With that, he returned to his adopted homeworld.

NEXT ISSUE: Drax the Destroyer is back and he ain't happy. 'Nuff said. Meanwhile, Rick has a mini-adventure in the Microverse! Plus, Marlo on Late Night with Conan O'Brien! And what are those pesky Mig-Na'cha up to?