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Day, night, it doesn't really matter when you're so far underground nothing about the sky is visible and the only light is artificial and dependent on what someone brings with them. Into this darkness, the faint sound of footsteps breaks the silence and slowly get louder. Then a sudden light can be seen as Noh-Varr squeezes through a small person-sized opening in some rubble.
Triton liked to keep his own council; watch, learn, and assess things in teh world above and below never quite a part of them. His dark eyes shifted the spectrum of the world around him into shades of green picking out details while the fish, himself, stuck to teh shadown away from teh long desolate path that went to the buried bunker. He folowed for a time, silent, and finally asked, voice accented as being 'out of region' for the rest of New York, "You are, perhaps, very lost?"
As Noh-Varr steps into an area that's been equipped with some lighting, the light coming from his wristband shuts off. And before the first word is done, he's turning and raising his arm which is now holding a blaster that used to be a wristband and pointing it at Triton. As the meaning of the question becomes clear, he lowers it a bit but doesn't quite point it away. "What are you? Does this planet have a native subterranean species as well?"
Triton paused and didn't answer right away. There was the glint off the edge of something metal off the side of the fishman in the mask that became apparent when he stepped into the light. "There are. Several. I am and am not one I might suppose. Where are you from, neighbour?"
Noh-Varr is silent as he studies Triton a couple moments before he lets his arm drop. The blaster somehow shifts back to a golden wristband with a red gemstone of some sort set into it. "Captain Noh-Varr of the 18th Kree Diplomatic Gestalt. Who are you?"
Triton stood very still, the tips of his fingers edging to the grip on his hand scythe hooked to his back. Kree. Here. The orbed eyes narrowed only faintly, thoughtfully, as he attempted his Kree, rusty as it was, but in much unfortunate need. Blast. «"We had an agreement standing. Hala sent you, why?"» Cuuuurious, but he was a diplomat and at the very least he'd attempt for answers since the weapon was lowered on him. He answered, «"Scout Captain Triton. Earth greets you. What business brings?"»
Noh-Varr's brows rise. « How do you know Kree? » Though that's partially answered by what is said. « An agreement? With the Kree on this planet? » Which also explains how he knows the name of the homeworld. « No one sent me. I'm from a different reality so am not associated with my people in this one. Are they causing trouble here? »
Triton listened picking up the subtle text on the words and inference. Well. He seemed non-hostile, but the same could be said for his cousin. Ah well. «"I am part Kree. And yes… they have."» Not an untruth, but true enough not to give away their people as it were. His webbed fingers relaxed and his head tilted to observe curious, «"You are from some parallel place and not Kree here."» Hmm. His English wasn't perfect, and neither was his Kree. Still, there was something that he enjoyed about using it. «Humans and Up-world people live on surface. Many live below. Humans have no idea. Have you eaten?» Hospitality; the rare gift of travellers. In that he could empathize.
"Part Kree." Looking Triton up and down, Noh-Varr nods. "You must be the result of the experimentation the Kree did on the natives a while ago. You can switch to English if you're more familiar with it. I am fluent in it and many other languages." Eaten? Now that was a surprise offer and one shoulder lifts slightly. "Not recently."
Triton switched out to Mandarin and asked, «"Any better? Honestly my English is till learning."» With that he looked him over and nodded to the side for him to follow. If he was a spy he'd stalk him anyways. «"Why are you in Earth-below?"» He didn't confirm nor deny the genetic expierementation though fish-persons were highly irregular. Still, the wandering samurai was not without hospitality. "Captain Noh-Varr, I will honour you as my gest then that we might put the differences of the acnestors aside and find you something to eat. I will warn much of the below-world has veyr different rules than above. May I ask what happened to you?"»
« That works. » Noh-Varr agrees, following Triton without any hesitation. He's got the major languages down. « My ship was damaged. It came out down here. I've been exploring the city and meeting people. It's very primitive, even for Earths. Tell me about my people here and what they've been doing. I'm told it involves the Skrull but no other details."
Triton walked Noh-varr through the recesses of abandoned infrastructure. If one was clever the path was evident. if one was simply lost the word perilous might be more fitting. Finally the lighting evened out; artificial, but enough to keep the platform lit from the bleak entombment. There was a raise garden with grow lights that seemed well groomed and while the station was forgotten it was maintained and cared for as well as one could such a thing.
A webbed hand gestured for him to have a seat and paused, «"Eating preferences or restrictions?"» It was to say not necessarily a lot to work with but he was making due. «"The Kree have implanted listening stations around Earth in hopes, perhaps, to claim stakes. I can't really know their mind but I know they are not far enough off our orbit to be merely coincidental. At least it was the impression I got when I was on their ship. It was… enlightening.."»
« None. » Noh-Varr looks around curiously at what they've done with the place. Homey, without losing that air of abandoned homeless shelter that is so in vogue now. « They want to bring the planet into the Empire, of course. That goes without saying. How they intend to go about it, through force or something else, that I don't know. Do they have many ships here? »
Triton shook his head and went about pulling things from the raised garden. Veggies, assurted roots, and eventually bread that he had brought over. It was for all purposes a hearty salad and tea wa put on, though the food was brought first. «"If all is simpatico? There should be none. They brought an envoy vessal to warn Earth of the Skrull hoping , I can only assume, to rid them off their property to keep from contaminating or compromising their investment here. We killed one. It was… interesting."» He set the bowl down and left an option of eating utensils for Noh-Varr to choose his preference from. Though the mask covered most his fae the orbs of his eyes held enough expression to ask genuinly, "You must miss it. Your home?"
« They warned Earth about the Skrull to make sure the Skrull don't get the planet before they do. » Noh-Varr states. « I'm told there are many mutants now. The result of the Celestials experiments, I'd think. The abilities I've seen would make a good addition to the ranks of the Kree military. As would those of our own experiments. My own reality seems to have developed differently from this one. We've made peace with the Skrull and other races. » Inspecting the food, he picks up a piece of vegetable. « Of course. »
Triton made a bowl for himself setting it down but retrieving the tea in a show of hospitality but also that this was on the up and up. «"THe peoples of Earth, evolved and primitive alike have enjoyed their independance and have not taken kindly to notions of joining anything. THese cultures here can barely contend with one another. It is in part why I've deployed to this city to see if there is anything that can be made of it really."
« That just makes it easier. A planet divided? Pick one group who are eager to rule everyone else, make deals with them, promise them what they want and they become willing pawns. » It's a story older than humanity. « Is that the arrangement you have with them? » Noh-Varr asks curiously.
Triton shook his ead, and poured the tea. «"No it was remove Skrull and they remove themselves. My cousin was assiting withteh peace treaty. The Skrull set us up to force us to invade a Kree ship. We were all quite unpleased. Still, you are not… incorrect. ."» They carried on in Mandarin over salad and tea. It was a non-conventional setting but a polite one. «"I am sorry to hear your ship crashed. Were I your commanding officer I'd say I'd be concerned of your well being. You seem capable."»
« They won't leave. » Noh-Varr sounds very certain of that. « Though they might let you think they did. They're just using you to do what they can't or don't want to. » He might be of their race but they're not really his people. Not in this reality. « I'd like to meet them. » Glancing into his tea cup, he takes a drink from it. Capable? « I'm a Kree warrior. » Of course he's capable.
Adam climbs over the rubble of a mostly-blocked tunnel. He's weirdly nimble for his size, his joints not operating in exactly the manner they're meant to emulate. Despite how very large he is, he slips through the rubble no problem. When he sees the two others at tea, he bows very slightly, very correctly. "Gentlemen. Pray do not let me disturb you."
Triton carefully unhooked his rebreather. The maks came apart with a gurgle of the tank on him and finally, a face. Not very human, but he wasn't human was he? Thin lips moved and formed words, back to English, "Adam, it is not an interruption. Come meet our guest. He is visiting from… away. Captain Noh-Varr, this is Adam. A…friend of mine and scholar."
Noh-Varr looks over when someone else arrives. If there's a reaction to Adam's appearance, it's not visible. "Another one of the Kree's experiments?" he asks then nods a greeting to the man. "A pleasure and all that. Come sit and have some tea."
Adam murmurs, "Thank you, Triton, my friend." He makes a deep rumble in his vast, cavernous chest. "The Kree? No. A human man's experiment." His already awful face scowls. "You must be from 'away' indeed, if you do not have some idea, however erroneous, of my identity. My creator has some fame." He approaches. Looming. Well, he always looms. "Aliens, the Kree, are they not?" he says as he sits in one of the chairs that's meant to accomodate someone like him.
Triton paused and held up a hand in peace, but explaination, "Not everyone on this planet is someone's expierement." He had a chair that could accommodate GOrgon and thus Adam solidly. Triton considered, gills pulling tight to his scaled neck, "Yes. The Kree, the off-worlders who were at teh UN a few months ago. Noh-Varr is a distant relation to them though, I am correct in reiterating, not necessarily in association with them?"
"He looks like he could be a product of the terrigen mists." Noh-Varr tells Triton as an aside. Much like Triton does. "I am Kree." he says to Adam. "Though not of this reality's Empire." Which brings him back to "I'd like to meet them." he says again to Triton.
"I am unfamiliar with such a thing," Adam says. When he picks up a cup, it is ridiculous in his hand, like a doll's tea set. "I suppose it is a possibility. My creator's methods died with him. He never shared them." He studies Noh-Varr, handsome guy that he is, with a certain coolness. "You have crossed realities to come to this one? What induced you to such an act?"
Triton offered, "Well if it helps I did go through the mists. As a child, but I can attest he is not one of ours, Noh-Varr. Interesting enough were my brother here I'm certain he'd have a score of questions for you, but as for meeting them? I'll see what might be able to be attainable. It is presently not our desire to call them back but we may have means o arrange some semblance of meeting. I'll inquire."
"I had nothing else to do this century." Noh-Varr answers flippantly. "That and my ship being damaged might have had something to do with it. It's unlikely though that whoever this creator of yours was, that he used terrigen mist. It's very rare on this planet. Or should be." Triton gets a nod. "They're still here. In orbit maybe. Did you actually get rid of the Skrulls that the Kree said they were leaving?"
Adam gives Noh-Varr the side eye for his sass. Sips tea politely. "Ah," he says to Triton. "I had been under the impression your people were all aquatic-dwellers. But you were mutated, instead, yes?"
Triton considered this a fair point without rancor and finally, oddly, elected to come a bit clean on process to the manwith no nation. "It is among my people that we undergo a change. We are genetically comprised for optimal genetics. Was I born this way? No. Was I intended to be this way by design? Absolutely. Perhaps much in the way on parallel your creatorintended to be you as you are for their art. The terrigen shapes us into what we were intended by genetic coding and likewise, the need of our people some believe. Why I am unique among my people in this regard? We do not know and our council is looking into possible meaning or understanding for this. Do I feel it makes me special? No, but necessary? Absolutely which leaves me to ask, 'but for what'." He sipped his tea an d thought on that looking back to Noh-Varr. "I will confer. We may be at capacity for the hunt on reported Skrull though they don't check in with us when they arrive on planet and to an end I think that is the point."
Noh-Varr lets Triton explain uninterrupted since it's his story to tell. He's a bit far removed from the experiments that were carried out or any of the current situation. "It'll be interesting to see how they react. I once promised someone I'd defend the Earth. I don't know if that still applies if it's a completely different Earth at a different time in a different reality. Aren't temporal and dimensional physics fun?" It's an interesting philosophical puzzle at least. "Oh, I met one of your people the other day. His name was Max."
Adam leans forward, looking intently at Triton. "Designed. Shaped. By whom? Whose intention lives in your DNA?" He turns his great head towards Noh-Varr. "A choice you must make, yes. A man's word must be considered in such circumstances. Perhaps this Earth is not as inviting as yours, or perhaps it is more warlike, or more vulnerable. In any case, can honor be bound to more than one reality at once?"