Chapter 3

Peter had met Captain Marvel a few times while Iron Man and some of the other Avengers were on a mission against Thanos. He knew that Captain Marvel’s real name was Carol Danvers. She used to be in the United States Air Force, but after receiving an infusion of alien DNA, she developed super powers, including super strength, endurance, stamina, and even the power of flight! She soon joined the Avengers and battled alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Whether she had part-alien DNA or not, Peter was so happy to see a fellow human being! He invited her inside immediately.

Once on board his ship, Captain Marvel explained why she was there.

“Back on earth, a few of the other Avengers and I were chasing a strike force of Skrulls.”

Peter knew the Skrulls all too well. They were aliens, and many of them were evil and loved war. They had tried to invade Earth on multiple occasions but had always been beaten back by the Avengers and other powerful heroes, such as Spider-Man and Wolverine.

“These Skrulls were a small team, and they had been searching for something,” Captain Marvel went on. “Eventually the Avengers discovered what the alien agents had been after: the pieces needed to rebuild the. . . Ultimate Nulifier!

“The Ultimate Nulli-wha?” Peter asked. “Do you mean the weapon capable of destroying entire solar systems?”

Peter had never seen the Ultimate Nullifier, but he knew that even some of the biggest bad guys in the Universe—like Galactus, Ronan, and even Thanos himself—were actually afraid of it. To protect the universe, the heroes of Earth had found it and broken it into several pieces, scattering them in secret locations. But if the Skrulls were able to put those pieces together again, they’d cause big trouble for sure!

“We captured the whole Skrull team . . . except one,” said Captain Marvel.

“Let me guess,” Peter replied, a chill going down his spine. “The Skrull who got away is the one who had the pieces to the Ultimate Nullifier.”

“Yes,” Captain Marvel confirmed. “And I’ve tracked him—to planet Knowhere! If that Skrull agent gets the parts back to his home planet, I’m positive the scientists of his world will be able to put it together again. Once they have a working Ultimate Nullifier, they’ll be able to destroy Earth with a single shot!

The words hit Peter like a ton of bricks. His memories of being a child rushed back: playing kickball in his yard; battling imaginary monsters from his tree house; reading comic books down by the stream. All of these places would be destroyed. His friends—his family—gone. Peter made a tight fist. He wasn’t going to let that happen. “We have to stop him before it’s too late.”

“So, you’ll help me, Star-Lord?” Captain Marvel asked.

“You bet I will,” Peter responded, grabbing his blaster and helmet. “Where do we start?”

“Well, that’s where it gets tricky,” she responded. “Don’t forget—Skrulls are shape-shifters!”

“Oh. . . right,” said Peter, remembering. It was true. Every Skrull alien had the natural ability to change their bodies and make them look like anyone or anything they wanted. It was a form of camouflage that made them great at their work as spies and secret agents.

“We need to be looking for anyone—or anything—that seems out of place, like they don’t belong,” said Captain Marvel.

Sometimes I’m the one who feels like I don’t belong, Peter thought as he remembered the loneliness he sometimes experienced.

“Sounds like you need to talk to someone who is very familiar with this station and everyone who lives on it,” Peter said. “I know just the individual! Someone who knows this place like the back of his hand—well. . . not hand, but paw. . . .”

Captain Marvel gave Peter a confused look.