After confirming Carol's passcode, Yon-Rogg let out a breath of relief.
Others might not understand, but he knew all too well how important Carol was to the entire Kree Empire.
As long as she fully grasped her immense power, the Kree Empire would have the potential to dominate the entire universe.
However, when the conversation turned to their mission target, Soh-Larr, things started slipping out of his control.
Soh-Larr had been disguised, and worse, the subconscious code implanted for identity verification had been uncovered by the Skrulls.
He also knew the Skrulls had searched Carol's memories after capturing her.
Yon-Rogg was well aware of what had really happened back then. He also knew that, for years, both he and the Supreme Intelligence had been lying and feeding Carol false memories.
It was all for one purpose—to keep her power completely under the control of the Kree Empire.
But now, the Skrulls' technology had the ability to awaken the memories buried deep within her subconscious. It even made Carol remember the truth—Mar-Vell, the traitor, and her identity on C-53.
Midway through the transmission, S.H.I.E.L.D. finally detected the anomaly. After receiving authorization from the U.S. government, they locked onto the LexCorp satellite and demanded that LexCorp immediately cut off the signal.
Faced with this situation, Luthor had no reason to refuse. He was too busy studying the Skrull ship to waste time arguing with S.H.I.E.L.D. over Carol's call.
As a result, the conversation between Carol and Yon-Rogg was abruptly cut off.
Yon-Rogg frowned at the interruption before turning to his crew. "How far are we from C-53?"
"The nearest jump point is 22 hours from our current location," came the reply.
"Then set a course. Now!"
With that, the Kree team adjusted their trajectory toward Earth.
...
At the same time, on Earth.
Nick Fury, along with Coulson and a squad of police officers, had already surrounded Carol.
The report Fury received was bizarre—some woman had apparently fallen from the sky and crashed through the roof of a Blockbuster store.
And if that wasn't strange enough, she was also rambling about "C-53" and the "Kree Starforce"—terms that, to Fury, sounded like the kind of nonsense only a lunatic would say.
His first impression was that Carol was just another super-powered nutcase.
Of course, Fury wasn't new to the idea of people with powers.
Scott, a mutant terrorist, had already attacked a mall in New York. The X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants had also proven that individuals born with extraordinary abilities did exist in this world.
But even with that knowledge, he wasn't buying the idea that this woman—who looked just like a regular human—was actually an alien.
Even when Carol warned that Skrulls had infiltrated Earth, he remained skeptical.
He had spent years doing desk work at S.H.I.E.L.D. If it weren't for his ambition to climb the ranks, he wouldn't have bothered coming out here to deal with this mess himself.
"So, tell me," Fury said, crossing his arms. "How exactly do we know you're not one of those Skrulls you keep going on about? How do we know you're not a shapeshifter yourself?"
Carol sighed, realizing these humans weren't going to believe her. She lost interest in explaining further.
"Congratulations, Agent Fury. You've finally asked a useful question."
"No, congratulations to you, Starforce lady. You're under arrest." Fury still didn't trust a word Carol was saying.
To him, superpowered individuals prone to delusions were best dealt with swiftly—preferably by restraining them before they could cause any real trouble.
One of the officers accompanying him stepped forward, cuffs in hand, ready to detain Carol. But before he could, everyone heard a sharp whirring sound—
Zzzzzzzzt.
The unmistakable sound of an energy weapon charging filled the air.
Carol recognized it instantly—a Skrull was about to attack.
What surprised her, however, was that while the ordinary officers remained oblivious, both Fury and Coulson reacted instantly. In a flash, they drew their sidearms and aimed toward the source of the sound.
A Skrull, disguised as a human boy, fired a crackling bolt of purple energy at them.
The group dodged just in time.
Carol was about to unleash a photon blast in response, but Fury was even faster.
His arm pulsed with red energy, channeling it into his gun. The moment his finger squeezed the trigger, several laser-enhanced bullets tore through the air—one striking the Skrull's shoulder with a burning impact.
"Raaagh!"
The wounded Skrull let out an animalistic screech before retreating across the rooftops.
The fight had only just begun.
...
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
Lex Luthor, clad in his suit of armor, had arrived alongside 'Martian Manhunter'.
He had already conducted a preliminary analysis. While Skrull technology bore some similarities to Kryptonian advancements, it also possessed its own unique traits. By studying it, he could refine his own technological prowess even further.
In fact, with only minor modifications, this captured Skrull warship could be repurposed as the core of their future space station.
"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you. You know what needs to be done," 'Martian Manhunter' said.
Having safely escorted Luthor to the site, he was ready to leave.
"Has Captain Marvel made her move?" Luthor asked.
At his words, 'Martian Manhunter' lifted his gaze. His enhanced vision effortlessly pierced through the vast expanse of the Atlantic, crossing the entire United States until it locked onto a city in the West.
"Yes. S.H.I.E.L.D. is about to realize the existence of both the Skrulls and the Kree. I suppose it's time for Martians to make an entrance as well, don't you think?"
Luthor reminded him, "And your origin? You do realize Mars never developed intelligent life in this world."
"Humans in the DC Universe never found evidence of Martian civilization either," 'Martian Manhunter' replied with a smirk.
"No matter which universe we're in, Martians are a race that should have been wiped out by H'ronmeer's Curse."
Then, with a knowing grin, he added, "Besides, a good origin story should add to my credibility."
Luthor nodded in approval before offering a final reminder.
"Make sure this situation escalates. Ideally, it should spread across the entire planet. That's the only way your mission to 'save Earth' will be recognized as a success."
"I know."
'Martian Manhunter' gave a slight nod before phasing into intangibility and vanishing into the sky.
Originally, Captain Marvel's story had remained largely unknown to the general public. Aside from Nick Fury, even the U.S. government and most of S.H.I.E.L.D. had little knowledge of her existence.
In the movie, Carol entered Binary Mode, fought a Kree commander, and scared Ronan off with a brief show of force.
That wouldn't do.
The scale wasn't nearly large enough to count as a world-saving event.
If not a global crisis, then at the very least, it had to be a threat that endangered all of America.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Your support means a lot, thank you!