Mighty Captain Marvel #6

Issue Date: 
August 2017
Story Title: 
Band of Sisters, part 2
Staff: 

Margaret Stohl (writer), Michele Bandini (artist), Erick Arciniega (colorist), Virtual Calligraphy's Joe Caramagna (letterer), Anthony Gambino (designer), Elizabeth Torque (cover artist), Sana Amanat & Charles Beacham (editors), Axel Alonso (editor-in-chief), Joe Quesada (chief creative officer), Dan Buckley (publisher), Alan Fine (executive producer)

Brief Description: 

Trapped in space with the Earth surrounded by a force field which Captain America refuses to switch off, Captain Marvel and the crew of the Alpha Flight Space Station are stranded, with no power and with dwindling supplies. The senior crew members so what they can to assist in this desperate situation. Before long, another wave of Chitauri launch an attack, so Carol and her allies defend the AFSS. Afterwards, Carol sends the Guardians of the Galaxy back out into space to find help. The new Alpha Cadets, Dante, Glory and A'Di, assess the situation and wonder what will be required of them. Carol meets with Hopper, who is creating an amplifier that he hopes will make a long distance call through the interplanetary shield. During the conversation, he breaks down, worried about the safety of Wendy Kawasaki who is trapped on Earth. The cadets then devise a plan to patch A'Di's droid, Itz, into the AFSS mainframe, and while Carol meets with her senior crew members, the cadets begin stealing equipment they require to get out onto the outside of the AFSS hull so they can reach the satellites atop the station, and Carol is told that Hopper's amplifier doesn't have the power to reach Earth without a high-powered transmission relay, which they don't have. Carol is frustrated, but adding to her troubles, another Chitauri wave is approaching the AFSS – and she then notices the Alpha Cadets heading out onto the hull of the AFSS. The cadets find the satellite which they think they can link Itz to, and once Itz is connected to the AFSS mainframe, the cadets think their plan is working. Carol confronts the cadets, but the Chitauri arrive. The cadets do what they can to assist Captain Marvel against the alien force, and suddenly, Wendy Kawasaki's voice can be heard over the satellite connection. Carol is startled when she hears Wendy's voice, and one of the large Chitauri monsters slams into her, causing Carol to crash into a nearby jet, which explodes, and the monster looms over Carol, while the cadets worry that they have killed Captain Marvel.

Full Summary: 

Carol Danvers a.k.a. Captain Marvel hovers I n space, looking at the darkened Alpha Flight Space Station, cut off from Earth, a force field glows around her home planet. She thinks to herself that the battle  is quiet now, but that they have all taken damage – and not just from the Chitauri, though they never stop coming. It is the despair that hits between the attacks that hurts worse. On the AFSS bridge, Eugene Milton Judd a.k.a. Puck, Lieutenant Commander Abigail Brand and Dr Walter Langkowski a.k.a. Sasquatch examine the control panels, whiile the three Alpha Cadets – Dante Cruz, Glory and A'Di, stare out into space, huddled under blankets. Peter Quill a.k.a. Star-Lord and Gamora are also huddled under blankets in another room, as they clean their weapons, while Rocket Racoon tries to connect some equipment, 'This should do it' he utters. 'I am-m G-G-Groot' calls out Bany Groot, shivering under a small blanket. Captain Marvel thinks to herself that Captain America betrayed them. Steve Rogers, the heroes' hero is a traitor. 'If that can be true, what hope do we have?' she wonders.

Elsewhere aboard AFSS, Ms America Chavez and Monica Rambeau a.k.a. Spectrum have blankets draped over themselves as they play a game of chess. Carol thinks that they are now trapped outside the planetary defense shield, and both she and America have punched it with everything they have got. Spectrum has blasted it, but no matter how hard they try to get through it, they are just not strong enough. As Marcus Milton a.k.a. Hyperion places a blanket over the unmoving body of Avril Kincaid a.k.a. Quasar, Carol tells herself that Hyperion is a god and even he couldn't break through, while Quasar was the one person who even came close to breaching the shield. '... and because I trusted Steve, because I helped build it...I blame myself'. Carol slams a fist into the shield, but it doesn't even crack. Suddenly, a voice over the communicator informs Carol that they have got incoming. 'Roger. Battle stations?' Carol replies, before looking into the viewscreen where the Alpha Cadets are looking at her, and she tells them to stay put and not to get killed.

Moments later: 'Right on time!' Captain Marvel exclaims as an army of Chitauri warriors move towards her. She smacks her fist into one of them, knocking the alien backwards. 'Ya think the bugs set an alarm or something?' America asks as she knocks one of the aliens back. 'Gotta like the punctuality... but gotta like the leaving more!' Spectrum exclaims as she blasts the aliens. Rocket Racoon throws an explosive into the horde of aliens, which is explodes. 'Gr-groot!' Baby Groot calls out from where he clings to Rocket's back. Gamora slices one of the aliens in half, while Star-Lord fires his weapon into the aliens, and someone back inside the AFSS reports over the communicator that the hostiles are now on the run.

Shortly, on the bridge, Carol tells Star-Lord that the Guardians did a good job out there. 'Who are we kidding? That's an all-you-can-eat bug buffet, and sooner or later we're not gonna feel much like eating' Star-Lord replies. Carol tells him that she knows, and points out that they are short on ammo – and food and water. 'Plus the whole freeze-your-butt-off no-power thing' America adds. Carol announces that they have to find a way to get through that shield while they still can – but they can't do it alone. 'What about a little intergalactic recruiting?' Carol asks. 'Uncle America wants you... to save the Earth' America jokes, pointing. 'That's the general idea' Carol tells her, before turning to Star-Lord and asking him if that sounds like something the Guardians can do. 'Uh, yeah, we're not all that popular out there, yanno?' Star-Lord replies. 'Oh, we know' America grins.

'We also know you're all we've got. Or, Quill, if you don't actually guard the galaxy, then you guys need a new name' Carol declares. 'Well, when you put it like that' Star-Lord sighs. Carol then watches the viewscreen as two jets leave the AFSS. Brand stands a couple of feet from Carol, who tells her that they will find help, that they just have to batten down the hatches until they back. '...said the Captain of the Titanic' Brand remarks matter-of-factly. 'We still have a shot' Carol exclaims. '...said no one who depended on Peter Quill for anything ever' Brand declares. 'Meep' calls out the droid called Itz.

Later, in the barracks, Dante, Glory and A'Di are still wrapped in their blankets and listening to the conversation between Carol and Brand recorded by Itz. 'You got any better ideas, Brand?' Carol can be heard asking. Brand tells her that she does, but that she is down on Earth on a supply run. 'Wendy? I had the same thought. If we could just find a way to reach her...' Carol adds. 'But that's impossible -' Dante begins, but Glory shushes him. Brand points out that Steve Rogers might have thrown Wendy in the not-evil-heroes brig, to which Carol suggests that Wendy might be able to open the shield from the other side. 'That's a lot of ifs...' Brand tells Carol. 'Meep!' the droid calls out, and A'Di tells her fellow cadets that is all Itz heard.

'Not even Captain Marvel can get through that shield?' A'Di asks. 'Nope' Glory declares. 'We're even more screwed than we thought' Dante exclams, standing up. Glory calls the AFSS “Alphie” and points out that it is losing basic functions, so oxygen will probably be next. 'There has to be something we can do' A'Di tells her fellow cadets. 'Yeah. Stay put and not get killed. You heard the Captain, A'Di' Dante remarks, pulling the blanket up around his neck. 'But we're Alpha Flight now! What was all this training for, if we're not supposed to fight?' Glory asks. The three youngsters look out the window, and Dante announces that they are not soldiers. 'Nobody is... until there's a war. That's what the Dora Milaje say' A'Di tells the others. 'So we're all soldiers now?' Glory asks. A'Di announces that she doesn't just want to be a soldier – she wants to be a hero, like the Dora, like T'Challa, or Captainv Marvel. 'Meep' Itz tells her. 'Eye of the beholder? Save it. You don't even have eyes, Itz'.

Carol is in one of the labs with Hopper, and she tells him that it is the bottom of the ninth and the Sox aren't looking good, so she needs a hero – a Fenway Park miracle. Hopper is connecting some wires to a device, and tells Captain Marvel not to bring a sports metaphor to a nerd-fight. 'I thought baseball was universal' Carol tells him. Hopper then tells Carol to save the pep talk, as he was way ahead of her. 'Been working on this amplifier for days...' he explains. 'I wasn't pep talking you, Hop...  that pep was for me' Carol sighs. Hopper doesn't look up from the wires as he reminds Carol that Rogers was Captain America, so she wasn't the only one who didn't see it coming. 'But I'm the one who should have' Carol tells him. 'Oh, please. Does this self-loathing thing just come with the job?' Hopper enquires. 'Pretty much' Carol tells him.

Hopper then slams a fist on the table and puts a hand to his head, asking Carol if she wants to know something about feeling sorry for herself, about blaming herself for something. 'Huh?' Carol asks, confused. 'How about not telling someone how you felt when you had the chance?' Hopper asks. 'You mean...?' Carol begins. 'How about having that person taken from you with no warning?' Hopper asks, putting both hands to his head now. Carol looks at him as he adds 'How about having to figure out how to make a long-distance call across an interplanetary atmospheric shield...' 'Buddy' Carol tells him. '... just to say the one thing you couldn't say to her face' Hopper concludes. Carol puts her arms around Hopper's neck and tells him that they will find Wendy – she promises.

'Hold on, buddy. Not so fast. You got that whole comm-suite upgrade right before we left Wakanda, didn't you?' A'Di asks her droid. 'Meep meep meep meep meeeeep' Itz utters as it tries to break away from A'Di's grasp. 'So?' Dante enquires. 'Show me' Glory tells A'Di. 'You're the hardware person, Lady Leg-Guns. You tell me' A'Di replies, opening Itz up. Glory looks at some sort of control panel and replies tht  she is not all that up on Wakandan tech, but that it looks like they have the bare bones here. 'Meep!' Itz exclaims, to which A'Di tells her droid that it is an expression, and that it's bones are fine. Dante suggests that they could use Itz to patch into the Alpha Flight mainframe. Itz releases a series of “meeps” and A'Di tells it to stop. 'And if Itz is strong enough, maybe we could...' Glory begins. 'Meep!' the droid utters as it buzzes around the barracks. 'Just your signal, Itz... relax' A'Di tells it.

Itz then darts underneath A'Di's blanket which has fallen to the floor. 'Okay, then. It works or it doesn't. Only one way to find out...so we give it a shot and see what happens. Who's with me?' A'Di asks the others. 'Where's the main satellite?' Glory enquires. 'Where do you think? Where are all satellites?' Dante replies, smiling and pointing upwards. 'MEEEEEEP!' Itz exclaims.

Elsewhere aboard the AFSS, 'Come on...stupid hunk of junk...you gotta give me something...' Carol mutters as she taps away at a console. A photo of Wendy Kawasaki and Carol is taped to the screen. 'Cap. You wanted a report on the comms problem' a voice calls out, but Carol doesn't respond. 'Captain?' Sasquatch calls out as he and Puck approach her. Carol ignores the Alphans and mutters 'Come on, Wendy...you got this...' Carol mumbles, touching the photograph. 'Can we help, Caotain?' one of the Alphans asks. 'Yeah, stay alive' Carol tells them. 'Copy that, Captain'. Carol then puts the photo of her and Wendy into her sleeve, 'You, too Wen...' she remarks quietly, before asking Sasquatch and Puck what the situation is.

Hopper walks over to them and announces that the news is bad. He explains that he rigged up the amp and that it works fine, but their signal is not strong enough to get through the shield. Carol asks why not, and whether they can't just turn the amp up to 11, or something. 'Well, it's not that simple. See, the amps only part of the equation...' Hopper begins. He explains that by the time the message travels the more than 22,000 miles between Alpha Flight's position and the shield's surface, the signal has significantly degraded. He adds that by cranking the amp, he can boost the signal, but that the unique adaptive electro-harmonic property of the shield matching the modulation of the transmission then blocks them out. He reveals that what they need is a way to randomize the wave signature of their message at the last second while they broadcast the signal at maximum amplitude. 'Is this payback for the sport's metaphor, Hopper?' Carol mutters, before asking Puck to translate.

'Simply put, Cap, our only hope of getting a signal out is with a high-powered transmission relay. But we don't have any. We don't have much of anything. That was why Wendy went on a supply run in the first place' Puck replies.

At the same time, the Alpha Cadets are engaging their plan. Dante steals some some equipment while AFSS crew members are not looking, and Glory makes away with some space suits, while A'Di collects some other equipment while AFSS crew members patrol nearby. The three young Alpha Cadets then suit up in the space suits, ready for the next phase in their plan.

'Rogers... I'm gonna...' Carol begins. 'Break something?' Puck suggests as Carol slams her fist into the console, destroying it. Brand joins the group and asks if she has this straight: 'Without a relay, there's no phone-a-Wendy? No calling 9-1-1? No rescue party?' to which Hopper tells her there is nothing – nada – zippo. Suddenly, Puck motions to a console that has lit up and reports that there is incoming – another Chitauri wave. 'Already?' Sasquatch asks. 'All right. Let's get to it. Nothing except fighting hard and taking as many bugs with us as we can...' Carol begins, when suddenly, she notices the three Alpha Cadets through the viewscreen, where Glory propels herself space with her robotic legs, pulling Dante and A'Di behind her. 'What the -' Carol exclaims.

Outside: 'Look at that thing, The shield' Glory tells the others as she continues to hold them afloat in space, connected to them by a cable. 'It's really...everywhere' A'Di remarks as they stare down at the glowing force field that continues to encase the Earth. 'We are never getting home' Dante complains.

'Gonna wring those little necks!' Carol exclaims as she rushes down a corridor. She slams her fist onto a panel and a hatch opens to space. 'But first... I gotta save them!' Carol declares as she flies out into space.

The Alpha Cadets float over to the top of the Alpha Flight Space Station. 'Itz! Stop shaking! Your making my nose tickle!' A'Di tells her droid. 'Meep meep' Itz replies. Glory reports that the thrusters are off and she is switching to ambulatory. 'Awesome' A'Di tells her. 'Glory in her moment of glory' Dante remarks. 'Staaaahp' Glory tells her teammates. The trio walk along the top of AFSS, clinging to a rope. Dante tells the others that the satellites are just up ahead. 'Copy that, D-Boy' A'Di tells him. 'D-Boy?' Dante asks. 'Still working on it' A'Di replies, before asking Itz if it is ready to dave the day. Itz, still clinging to A'Di's back doesn't respond. Glory, leading the way, informs A'Di that there should be a port for Itz, if they can find it. They locate a panel and open it. Itz goes inside the panel and lets out a loud 'MEEEEEP!' to which A'Di tells it to calm down. 'You got this' she adds. 'What was that?' Dante asks where there is a strange noise. Glory grins and reports that she thinks it is working.

'Oh you think – you three are so -' Captain Marvel begins as she appears, hovering above the cadets. Suddenly, there is an alarm signal. 'I can't remember – is that the good sound or the not-good sound?' Dante asks. 'Not good! Not good!' A'Di replies. Carol tells the cadets to get down. 'No!' one of them tells her 'We can fight' another exclaims. 'We're sick of hiding' the third adds, while Carol turns and sees the next wave of Chitauri and their hideous monsters racing towards her. She flies forward and slams a fist into one of the monsters, while Glory starts firing blasts from her legs, and Dante knocks one of the aliens back with his sword, and A'Di drops down and, clinging to the rope, kicks one of the Chitauri. At that moment, Itz starts to transmit, and a voice can be heard: 'Hello? Hello? Alpha Flight? Do you copy... sir?' Carol looks startled: “Sir?” she repeats, before asking 'Wendy, is that you?'

'Captain! Watch – out!' one of the Alpha Cadets calls out as the the large Chitauri monster slams against her. 'Captain!' Dante exclaims. 'NO!' one of the others screams, as Captain Marvel crashes into an AFSS craft hovering nearby, causing it to explode. Carol falls onto the rubble of the craft as the Chitauri, including one of their large monsters, close in around her. 'Sir? Sir? Captain! What is going on up there?' Wendy's voice can be heard asking, while a shocked A'Di announces 'I...I think we killed the Captain!'

Characters Involved: 

Captain Marvel VI
Puck, Sasquatch (both Alpha Flight)
Lt Cmdr Abigail Brand
Lieutenant Wendy Kawasaki
Hopper
Dante Cruz, Glory, A'Di (all Alpha Flight Cadets)
Itz
Gamora, Groot, Rocket Racoon, Star-Lord (all Guardians of the Galaxy)
America Chavez, Spectrum (both Ultimates)
Hyperion III
Quasar V
Alpha Flight Space Station personnel

Chitauri aliens

In photograph:
Captain Marvel VI
Lieutenant Wendy Kawasaki

Story Notes: 

This issue ties into the Secret Empire storyline.

Written By: