The Serpent Crown (June 2013)

A hole in time and space suddenly opened up high into the sky. From it, a huge, golden city suddenly appeared. The whole disappeared and the large city stopped moving. It glittered in the light of the morning sun as vehicles large and small flew from it in a long, horrifying procession of might. Soldiers in gold and green scaled armor and helms rode atop golden vehicles. They manned weapons atop those vehicles and large carriers flew down to the surface and began offloading smaller craft that hovered several feet above the ground. As people stood in awe as they observed the strange newcomers, little did they know that the sun was powering up their own demise. The weapons on the chariots relied on the sun to power them and they flew over the cities and towns as their vehicles of war gained power enough to launch their attack.

In the Avengers tower, a news, special report showed up on all channels where they showed these ships and vehicles with people atop them in scaled, gold and blue armor. They had olive skin with obvious decoration and style akin to that of the Egyptian styles but far more modern and advanced than the Earth had ever seen. Thus far these travelers who did not respond to any attempts by the military or SHIELD to communicate with them. Logan had made popcorn and offered some to Natalya as they watched the live news report on the big screen. She took a few kernels and her finger gleamed brightly from her engagement ring and her new wedding ring. She and Logan had recently been married and despite her initial trepidation it appeared that she enjoyed being married to Logan.

“I wonder who these guys are? They look like they’re rejects from a Pyramids documentary,” Logan said as he munched on the popcorn. Far and wide people of every country and of every nation were glued to their screens as they watched the exotic people upon their golden chariots fly through the air. Charles and his X-men watched. Reed Richards and Sue watched. Gambit watched from where he gambled at the casino, Bruce Banner watched from the hospital he fed medicine to a child. T’Challa watched from his palace with his Shuri looking on, very concerned.

Natalya and Logan had been married about two months and had recently returned from their Honeymoon on Tony and Isabella's private island. The wedding had been a very private affair taking place in the Tower with only the Avengers' team present, apart from the priest. A few days before the ceremony she had gotten a call from Malcolm, who had heard about the engagement. She had agreed to meet him for coffee and he had congratulated her. He had seemed sincere in his happiness for her and they had parted on excellent terms.

Things in the city had seemed relatively quiet until she and Logan had turned on the tv that afternoon and found a live streaming video showing a huge, floating golden city. There were soldiers dressed in gold and green scaled armor that resembled something out of ancient Egypt, but they rode vehicles far more advanced than even anything anyone in Wakanda could create.

Tony, Isabella, Kate, and Steve had all been out at a charity event when the news story broke. The foursome had quickly left and headed back to the Tower where they found Logan and Natalya watching the news story. Isabella walked over to the window and looked out and could see the city. "Do we know yet what they want?"

Meanwhile, Peter and Serena were at Oscorp working on their project. They had stopped to take a break and Peter had gone to get them some sodas. Serena had walked out of the lab to stretch her legs and saw the news story playing on one of the tvs. As Peter came back she looked at him.

"I think we should get back to the Tower..."

The subjugation of any world was a delicate thing Khepari thought as she raised her arms up above her head. Two of her slaves, a tall, thin creature that resembled a giant red gecko and a dark-furred catlike creature draped a sheer under-dress upon her nakedness though it did little to hide her shape. Her olive flesh glistened in the dim light from the oils that were rubbed into it daily. She wondered about the humans of this world who resembled her and her people. Avani scouts who had watched in the shadows knew of ‘superior beings’ that she very much wanted to see. To see and to perhaps converse with them before she enslaved them like the others. Even from inside her stronghold she could hear the scream of military jets as they made a close pass by her floating city. There would be no speeches to announce her intentions. Her attack would begin soon to invoke fear and instability in the various governments of this world.

Her son, Omari appeared and stepped up to her. He was dressed in his armor and his face held no expression when he approached her. Seeing her without being properly dressed was nothing new but he wished she wouldn’t summon him until she was done dressing.

“Mother,” he said warmly and took a knee before her. Khepari stepped up to her son and hugged his head to her sternum. “Ah, my son,” she said affectionately and when he lifted his face up she kissed his lips lightly. “Are our troops prepared? There will be heavy resistance I fear. See to these ‘Mutants’ first and report back on your progress,” She said. “There is one called ‘Captain America’. Bring him to me unharmed,” she said as she cupped his chin firmly. “Enslave or kill the others as you will,” she said then released him and turned her back to him.

Omari narrowed his eyes at her back. Sometimes his mother’s ‘appetites’ disgusted him but he said nothing and withdrew.

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When Peter and Serena made it up to the tower everyone else was suited up and ready to go. “Suit up, these people are not here to play nice,” Tony said. As they got into their suits he programmed the large projection tv to project a map of new york. “They have some kind of air ships and larger troop transports. Several are headed to Westchester, Manhattan and here. Likely they intend on trying to take out the strongest of us first,” he said. “So far, no one knows who they are or what they really want but the armor and those spears arent likely just for show,” he said. And Natalya stepped up and gestured toward the front of one of the smaller air ships.

“That looks like some kind of weapon,” she said and everyone else agreed. Already the new energy fields installed in the tower hummed. “I’d rather meet them before they converge on us. Isabella and I will draw the ships, Peter and Serena, your job will be to lead the stragglers to the others. Cap and the rest of you will be out on the street. When Serena and peter bring them to you, take them down,” he said. “Any questions? Ok, lets move,” he said and everyone readied themselves.

Peter drew Serena up to him. “No crazy heroics alright?” he asked as he kissed her lips. “I love you,” He said as he kissed her once more. Steve and Kate and Logan and Natalya spoke quietly to one another as well as the elevator plummeted down to the street.

Serena felt a little nervous but was ready to get going. However, she paid close attention to her father’s instructions. This was far bigger than any battle she had ever been involved in. She could only assume that these people did not want to negotiate.

Isabella called Frank and told him their plan. He agreed to meet them and help out the ground crew. In the elevator on the way down all the couples spoke quietly to each other. Serena was glad to know that at least she and Peter would be working together. She smiled at what he said. “I could say the same thing about you,” she said and then kissed him again.

Without preamble or some egotistical speech the strange invaders on their air chariots eventually came. Frank had put on his armor and his armored black van was parked along the curb. He had some kind of automated weapon that was on a turret on the top of the van. A wicked looking auto-cannon that had a belted magazine that curved down into the van. It pivoted up and down and side to side. Behind them loomed the Tower and thus far it had not been touched.

The small ships looked like they carried 3 people on them and they were gold in color and quite ornate. They were about 4 meters long and 2 meters wide. The sides of them came up to their waists. One soldier piloted the thing while one other sat behind a weapon that pivoted. Peter was on a wall high up on a brick building that was near the street. Serena hovered above the others who readied their weapons. Natalya and Kate had automatic rifles with scopes for long range shooting. They also had armor and side arms and combat knives on their belts. Logan just waited by Steve for anything to try and come after the women.

The ships came in and just as they began to fire their weapons, bursts of green energy, they were attacked from the sides by Tony and Isabella. Their chariots had no shields and the repulsor beams hurt the people that rode on them more than the vehicle itself. One man fell out right away while the other 2 tried to regain control of it. The second chariot accidentally hit the one in front of it as Isabella hit it with a blast. It kareened down and exploded as it hit a parked car. The women began to fire their rifles as Frank fired his and his van began to lay down explosive rounds into their midst like flak that appeared to hover in place then explode with devastating effect. Peter webbed onto one than boarded it. He kicked one guy off and then webbed another then stepped up to remove the pilot. As he did even more came and Serena found herself being targeted by energy blasts that did nothing but feed her energy. She did not know what kind of energy the blasts were but each shot that hit her powered her suit. Not every shot hit her though, some hit close to the others that were on the ground and the fight had truly begun.

As Isabella flew through the air she saw Frank and his van and she was glad to know that he was safe and was there to provide backup. She and Tony flew up and began to attack the vehicles that looked like chariots with their repulsive beams. They quickly found that they were able to fairly easily take the riders out, but Isabella had a feeling that the attack hadn’t truly started yet. She and Tony would need to stay alert and ready for anything.

Serena watched as one of the chariots careened our of control and hit the ground. Below her, she could hear the rifle shots and then the explosion. Serena was hit by energy blasts but they did nothing more than power her suit. She fired a few energy blasts back at her attackers and then led them to Natalya and Kate, who were ready and waiting to take them out.

By this time SHIELD had also arrived and they began to coordinate their attack with the Avengers.

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Khepari had what appeared to be a mirror and she was able to focus her attention on Captain America. He was an incredible specimen and she planned on procreating with him to create the ultimate warrior. She smiled as she watched him.

Omari watched the fighting from inside his larger air ship. He could see out of the eyes of his soldiers who were bound to him as they fought. These ‘mutants’ were quite powerful indeed. He looked for the one his mother sought. He didn’t see him at first, he had to wait for a soldier’s eyes to focus upon him. Once he came into view he nodded. Now he understood, this man was exactly of the type his mother would like. She liked beautiful things and he had to admit the man was an exquisite specimen, if a bit pale of flesh. That and he had...hair on his head and face. Odd that.

“Captain Ain, bring me the man with the shield they call Captain America,” he commanded. The armored woman with 3 gold rings in her eyebrow that depicted her rank of Captain nodded. “It shall be as you command, my Prince,” she said and stepped away from him. After a time the large ship suddenly began to lose part of itself. The left part of the ship began to separate then pull ahead of the main body. Several more chariots swarmed around it as he began to descend down toward the fighting.

There were more and more downed soldiers and Logan did not pull any punches. His claws cut into their armor easily and he fought them with the wild and reckless abandon he was known for. There were so many and it was all he and Steve could do to keep them away from the women. Frank had joined in the ground fighting that had quickly turned into a full scale melee. The soldiers stabbed at Logan with their spears but the shocks only made him angry and his stab wounds healed quickly, much to their dismay. Steve held his own with his shield and Frank backed them up with covering fire lest they get overrun.

Several explosions had come close to Kate and Natalya but so far they had managed to avoid injury as they fired their weapons with near impunity at the force above them. Tony and Isabella with help from Serena and Peter kept the enemy in complete disarray. Their coordinated attacks along with Franks chaf rounds were doing alot of damage.

“Gunner, focus your attacks on those 2,” Captain Ain said. “As you command,” the gunner responded. As Tony shot his beams at a Chariot he was suddenly hit with a powerful attack from the larger ship that flew above them. It had knocked him into the brick building and he landed hard in an abandoned office building. “Ow!” He said as Jarvis fed him the damage report. The larger ship launched its attack.

Kate and Natalya were forced to dodge as the concussive rounds came in. Steve blocked on but it blew him back so hard he crashed against one of the parked cars. The chaf that exploded seemed to be buffeted against a shield that glowed green each time the ship was hit by it. “Looks like mama bear is PISSED!” logan growled as a round landed near him. It exploded and threw him several feet and it destroyed the concrete and tossed it in all directions from the impact.

Isabella was trying to fight and keep an eye out on everyone else. It was proving to be...difficult. She and Tony were suddenly shot at by a gunner on a larger ship above them as they focused on one of the chariots. Tony was hit and was knocked into a brick building. Isabella was worried about him, but she needed to focus on the larger picture here. This was one of the things that all of the couples on the team needed to understand. Isabella fired another round of repulsor beams at the chariot, but was then hit by the same ship that had attacked Tony. However, instead of being thrown into a building, she was thrown down into one of the chariots and knocked unconscious.

Captain Ain had witnessed what had happened and she contacted that chariot. "Bring that one to Prince Omari as a prisoner."

The larger ship increased its attack and Serena saw one of the Chariot’s lift her mother onto it. She didn’t respond to communications though her vitals seemed alright. Several other Chariots moved toward those on the ground as if they were converging on them. Tony made it back out of the building but the larger ship continued its assault on them. Peter had managed to get aboard the Chariot that held her mother but before he could stop it it had traveled through the larger ship’s shields and into the side of the big ship before it disappeared and the larger ships shield went back up. Kate, Logan, Steve, Natalya and Frank were in full hand to hand now and the soldiers with their spears were good with them. It also appeared their armor enhanced them. Made them stronger and faster and capable of resisting damage to a degree. Serena saw everyone fighting for their lives. Kate used her power and tossed several of them up into the air. Serena saw them surround Steve and he was in complete defence mode as he tried to fend them all off. As she blasted at soldiers more soldiers and more chariots appeared. Tony tried to blast through the ships shield but it fired at him again and hit him once again. This time it sent him into a parked car and it exploded when Tony hit it.

Serena's eyes widened when she saw her father hit by a blast by the ship's shield. He was sent flying into a parked car and the car exploded when he hit it. "DAD!!!" she screamed in horror. She flew down as quickly as she could and used the fire extinguisher feature on her suit to put out the fire. She was trying to remain calm as she prayed he was alright.

Kate was using her powers to their full extent as she and the others fought in hand to hand combat against these soldiers. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Steve was surrounded, but before she could get to him to help him she was attacked and forced to defend herself.

One of the soldiers from the chariot picked up Isabella's unconscious body and took her into the ship and approached Prince Omari. "A prisoner for you," he said as he lay Isabella at Omari's feet. She was still in her suit with the helmet attached.

Natalya’s pistol was out of ammunition but Kate tossed her another magazine. Logan was in a frenzy as soldiers stabbed him then faded back as if he were indeed some wild animal. Each time he healed they shocked him again and stabbed him again. A soldier that looked female got under Steve’s shield and shocked him with her spear. Once he faltered three others came in and shocked him as well. Kate had to block an incoming shot with her powers and the ship seemed to focus on her. Several soldiers started to drag Steve onto their chariot as more shots came in. Frank’s van had been hit and he had been knocked unconscious from the attack.

As the chariot that had Steve in it got off the ground Natalya tried to shoot it down. Before Kate could shift her powers to stop it a soldier had moved in close and shocked her with his spear. Logan jumped on him and killed him but not before the chariot had moved into the larger ships shields. The ship began to back up and then it turned and flew away from them in a quick burst of speed. Kate was bleeding from the spear wound in her side. Serena managed to get Tony up but he was definitely unsteady on his feet.

“To the tower, fall back to the tower,” Tony said. After they were all back in the tower it was up to Serena and Natalya to administer first aid and medical aid to those that were hurt. Namely Kate, Frank and Tony.

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As the ship connected with the base ship once more Prince Omari looked over his prisoners. Peter had eventually been overcome and he now wore a shock collar. Steve was still unconscious and he gestured toward two of the soldiers. “Remove her helmet,” He said and they got down onto their knees and tried to figure out how it came off. Eventually they hit something and the faceplate drew back. The female soldier gasped when she saw Isabaell’s face. “The Princess…” She murmured and the others that saw gasped as well. THey had all loved Aneksi and had seen Isabella’s face. Omari’s eyes grew large when he saw Isabella and he moved down onto one knee. “Is it...possible?” He asked breathlessly. “Get her armor off and put her into the healing chamber!” He commanded and soldiers moved quickly to do what he asked.

Serena did not know where Peter was, or even if he was still alive. She fought back tears as she helped Natalya administer first aid to the others. Kate looked quite upset herself. She felt she had failed Steve and no one was going to be able to convince her otherwise. She tried to sit up after the biobed had finished stitching up her wound, but Natalya gently pushed her back down.

"There's nothing more we can do right now Kate. This is bigger than all of us. We need to regroup with SHIELD to form a plan."

Serena sat next to her father and she felt him reach out and take her hand. She was trembling and as she felt his touch she broke down and began to cry.

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Isabella, or Aneksi, as the others believed her to be, was unconscious as the soldiers removed her armor and then moved her into the healing chamber. Peter was nearby and saw what they were doing. He moved to try to stop them, but was shocked by the collar he was wearing.

Khepari moved into the room and saw the face of the female prisoner as she was put into the healing chamber. She was shocked and she looked at her son. "Is that Aneksi?"

It was a resounding defeat and everyone needed a moment to reflect on what happened and the loss of their friends. After all the tears had stopped they all were together at the kitchen table. Tony just hung up the phone and his face looked grim.

“The baxter building was destroyed and they captured several children from Xavier’s mansion,” he said as he sat down. “Nick Fury said that the floating city has a shield like their ships and they can't penetrate it,” he said. He was worried, very worried about Isabella and the others but mostly about Isabella. Was she alright? What were they doing to her and them? How did he get her back?

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When Isabella woke up she was in a large, ornate golden bed. The bed was in a very large room similarly decorated in the style of Egyptian royalty. She also noticed that she wore not a stitch and that she felt...good. Very good infact physically. When she looked up she saw 3 people. They were in a line and wore simple golden smocks. They were all on their knees and their heads were bowed.

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Peter tugged at the golden collar. It was extremely strong and he had tried and tried but he could not break the bars of his cell. They had taken his suit off. He had fought but the collar’s shocks were so strong it locked up all of his joints and muscles when they shocked him. He was so worried about Serena and the others. He did not know where Isabella was either. He only saw other cells with other people that had been abducted but he didnt know who they were. He heard crying but it had to be coming from a few cells down.

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Steve woke up with a groan. He noticed right away that his hands were shackled and attached magnetically to something above his head. He was in a small, metal cage and he wore not a stitch of clothing. He felt the sensation of movement as the ship moved through the air toward the Golden city.

Natalya was exhausted and she could feel the bruises forming all over her body. She had never been in a fight like that before. Her muscles ached, but she had gotten off relatively easy in that battle compared to some of the others. As she looked at Tony she could see the worry in his eyes. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. None of them knew if Isabella was alive or not.

"What about Stephen Strange?" Serena suddenly asked her father. "He deals in the mystic arts. Perhaps he can help."

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Isabella shifted as she slowly began to awaken. She could feel that she was in a comfortable bed and at first she began to wonder if everything had just been a terrible nightmare that she was going to awaken from. However, as she opened her eyes she quickly realized that she was not in the Tower. She was in an ornate, golden bed in a large room that was decorated like that of Egyptian royalty. As she started to sit up she realized she was completely naked, but her body felt...young...that was the only way to describe it. It was then that she saw the three people in the room with her. They were in a line and wore golden smocks. They were all on their knees with their heads bowed. She grabbed a blanket and pulled it up around her body before addressing them.

"Where am I?"

Logan stepped up to Natalya, put his hands on her shoulders affectionately and then kissed her forehead and her cheek. He murmured ‘I love you’ and softly asked how she was holding up? Isabella was like a sister or an aunt. Maybe even a mother sometimes to all of them. Everyone liked Peter and though Steve was annoying sometimes, he was a good man. Maybe the best of them. Tony paced as he thought about what to do. Serena’s suggestion though, stopped him in his tracks. Before he could say anything though a magical portal opened near them and Stephen Strange stepped out of it.

“I know I know, you were about to call,” he said sarcastically. “Why would they take Steve? Who are these people and what do they want?” Kate asked. “They are the Avani and they are from an alternate universe where centuries ago the Egyptians, bolstered by the god Set conquered their world. Our world...Earth anyway. They have come seeking slaves, soldiers and...well...new blood,” he said and pointedly did not look at Kate when he said that last part.

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The servants tilted their heads and looked at one another as if confused but said nothing. Finally, the female who had long, blonde hair and a fair complexion spoke on a low, hesitant tone. “Uh….Princess, I beg forgiveness for speaking, my name is Shai, command us and we will do what you ask. This is Hain and this is Korshal,” she said and never took her eyes off of the floor. They all had collars on. Hain was a dark gray skinned man with reddish eyes, large and well muscled. Korshal was not human either and looked more like some kind of forest animal with light brown fur, large dark eyes and a white crest atop his head.

Serena felt some sense of relief when Dr. Strange suddenly appeared. She hoped that he would be able to help them because at the moment she wasn't sure what they were going to do. She wasn't very surprised to learn that these people had come from an alternate universe. After Peter traveled from another timeline to be with her, nothing like this would probably ever surprise her.

"They took my mom and Peter too."

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Isabella blinked when they referred to her as "Princess." As she looked at the three she realized that they all had on some kind of collar and they never looked up at her. Two of them didn't even look human. One appeared to be more animal.

"There must be some confusion here. I'm not a princess. My name is Isabella Stark. Where are my clothes?"

The young woman, she couldn’t be more than 18 or 19 and she looked human but with a closer look her skin wasn’t just pale, it could of been made from porcelain and her straight hair was white blonde. Her eyes were a very pale blue and she was actually quite beautiful. “Please, forgive…” She began and gulped in fear. The girl gestured toward a large, ornate wardrobe that stood against the wall.

“It is our pleasure to serve you Princess...uh, Is..a..b..el..a...St..ar..k,” she said awkwardly as if the words sounded odd to her. “Please command us and we can see to your needs. We are your sqrw-anx. In your language, we are bound to you for our lives. Please let us serve you,” she said almost pleadingly as if her life depended on it and it actually did.

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Steve’s cage suddenly rose into the air. As he looked around he noticed the cage was on some kind of large, round disk made out of gold. Or it just looked like it was gold. Everything here did. His arms ached as he had been in the same position for several hours and he didn’t like being naked. The cage moved as if on its own down a narrow hallway. Doors opened and closed until eventually he arrived in a larger room that felt warm and very humid. The sides of the cage fell away but the top remained where it was and he was still shackled to it. He was on his knees on the small cage bottom and then he heard movement. Three...somethings came toward him all dressed in golden smocks. They all wore golden collars and he could tell that they were all female. One looked somewhat human but had green flesh, another almost looked volpine like a fox with dark brown fur and a thick, fluffy tail. The third looked like a black woman with extremely dark skin. She had no hair at all on her body and was marked with blue tattoos everywhere. They all carried gold buckets with gold clothes and towels and they came up to him.

“Hey...what the HELL is going on!? Release me! RELEASE ME!” Steve yelled but the women never looked at him as they all began to wash his body.

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The woman he knew only as ‘Overseer’ did not bat an eye as Peter found himself shuddering on the floor at her feet. “A slave does what they are told or they are punished,” she said coldly. Her voice was devoid of all emotion just like her dark face. “Get back in line boy,” She said. “Screw yo…..” He began as his body was wracked once more as his muscles clenched as he was shocked once more. “You will learn or you will die,” She said.

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“They took alot of people Serena. Their goal right now before their main assault is to take as many mutants as they can. Remove the main opposition and then scour the planet for the people and resources they want. They will come again and soon most likely,” he said.

“Any idea what happened to Reed Richards, Sue?” Tony asked. Strange just shook his head. “I’m sorry Tony, I know Reed was a friend,” Strange said.

“What ABOUT STEVE AND PETER AND ISABELLA!?” Kate said angrily though there were tears in her eyes. Natalya shifted from where she sat and went to her. Kate was becoming unhinged right then.

“Nick and Phil want to meet to discuss a plan. I recommend you abandon the tower for now. Go to them, I don’t think the Avani can see their ship,” Stephen said.

Isabella listened to Shai and could tell that she was quite terrified. She didn't understand what was going on, or why these three people were 'bound' to her. She didn't even know where she was, although she assumed that she was somewhere on the floating on the floating city. At first, she started to move over to the wardrobe to get some clothes, but then she glanced at the girl and the two men and stopped. She wasn't entirely sure how to speak to them. "Could you get me some clothes please?" she finally asked. It wasn't exactly a command, but she hoped it would put them more at ease. "Do you know why I'm here?"

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Natalya quickly moved over to comfort Kate. Kate was clearly very upset over what had happened. Steve was everything to her and she felt that she had failed him. Serena looked at her father and she knew that despite his tough exterior that he was cracking inside. However, if he broke down then who would lead the team?

The team agreed to abandon the Tower and they all packed a few things before heading over to meet Nick and Phil. They were brought aboard the helicarrier and given some food. Serena sat with her father and she was quiet a while before looking at him. "I'm sure Mom is alright."