Unlikely Singularities – Chapter 28

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In His Name

November 1, 2016

Bnillim pulled the head scarf lower and made sure the lightweight robes draped so that no skin was showing. It was an unusual fashion, even among the humans that resided in the villages and cities between the prison in Imphal and Bangkok, but it disguised differences in face and form that would make Bnillim stand out. Even in the crowded airport, following the Black Widow and the Witch of Scarlet, he had to be careful. Watching Widow Wanda Witch, Bnillim repeated in Father’s native language, the local dialect, and the English spoken by the two Avengers quietly. Trustworthy humans had not yet been identified, and being caught and returned to HYDRA was not desirable.

That is what those who had woken Bnillim, taken the shard, and locked the prison door had called themselves. As Bnillim had escaped, several had said those words, “hail HYDRA”. Although the civilization on the little blue planet of the yellow star had advanced much while Bnillim slept, their technology was still far inferior to what Father had used. Under the cover of darkness, Bnillim had borrowed a computer terminal and learned much about the world. Firstly, how to blend in and hide. Secondly, HYDRA. There was too much information on those humans to be consumed in one night. None of it was good. They were beings like Uncle. Creatures who would assert their will by force or subterfuge and kill any who opposed them. They had the shard, and if they unlocked its vast potential the results would be disastrous for the little blue planet. The attention it would draw from those living around other stars would be mortally dangerous for the galaxy. If Uncle discovers the shard is on this place, Earth, he will darken their star and wither the souls in their bodies.

Bnillim had to recover the shard, to protect it. The endeavor would require allies. Three nights of reading on the humans’ knowledge and communication network lead to the discovery of the Avengers. As well as unfathomable yotabytes of reproductive media and videos of small mammals. Bnillim believes he prefers the small mammals. There were those among the Avengers that seemed perfectly suited to the task – and willing to help even a stranger against high odds in order to protect the innocent. The Captain of America seemed to be especially revered for his selflessness and virtue. And he had fought with a team that might be the equal of any of the warrior nations that Bnillim had studied. One of the princes of Asgard stood with them, and two humans that were both men and machines. Bnillim spent longer than necessary trying to determine the nature of those designated Tony Stark, the Iron Man, and The Vision. Human inside a machine, human IN the machine? Together, the Avengers were perhaps even a match for Uncle. Reports of their dissolution were troubling, and Bnillim had difficultly comprehending the political struggles that encumbered the group. A species, even a planet, so advanced remaining fractous was unknown to Bnillim. Yet, the Avengers were the best hope for success, so they must be found, assessed, and engaged to assist in recovery of the shard.

Bnillim had found the one called the Black Widow first – strange, to name oneself after such a small organism that humans both feared and reviled – under low conditions of probability. Bnillim had followed one of the HYDRA soldiers from Imphal to the Malaysia. There the Black Widow and another female had started an incendiary reaction and destroyed a land transportation vehicle. A truck, it was designated. One of the humans that worked for HYDRA had been killed, another wounded. The probability the injured man would also die was statistically assured.

Bnillim had remained secure and unnoticed during observations of the potential allies, trailing them for many days, until four HYDRA soldiers attempted to attack the females. Their strength, endurance, and agility had been enhanced by the shard, and they would have overwhelmed the two with surprise and numbers. Bnillim disabled one who was waiting to attack with a lethal weapon from a hidden location. When the fight was over, the Black Widow had paused to assess the scene.

What is it?” The other female had decorated her long, dead growth of hair with sticks that twisted it out of her way.

Maybe nothing,” the Black Widow had murmured. Her eyes had not hesitated when they moved over Bnillim’s hiding place, but exposure had seemed imminent. “Let’s go, Wanda. I promised to have you back quickly.”

The one called Wanda, the Witch of Scarlet, had muttered in a new language. Bnillim wondered how many languages this Earth had. Then, “Better stop for take out first. If they are not fed regularly, the animals might eat Barnes’ other arm.”

The Black Widow had laughed. Bnillim did not see how one of their team being consumed was amusing. Following them became more difficult after that. Bnillim was more cautious, staying in shadows and crowds.

Bnillim leaned further back behind a group of pale young humans with cameras and bright packs strapped to their shoulders, watching the Black Widow – so many different colors for the dead hair cells – and Wanda the Witch – Bnillim enjoyed the way their names felt as he spoke them in that language designated English. Watching Widow Wanda Witch. They were searched before going through a high gate to a waiting air transportation vehicle – a plane. Bnillim would be required to access the internet again, likely also the secure databases of the airport, to find their destinations.

Whether the wily Widow and Wanda the Witch would work well with Bniilim is wondered, but the wary women were worth watching another week.

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