Elsewhere, Carol chased the disguised Skrull onto a crowded subway train.
Even though the alien was wounded, green blood seeping from its injuries, the packed train made the pursuit difficult. Carol had to weave through passengers, dodging startled glances and irritated murmurs.
To make matters worse, her strange outfit and aggressive approach caused well-meaning bystanders to step in, inadvertently slowing her down.
For instance, right now.
Carol's sharp eyes locked onto an elderly woman with white hair—green blood staining her clothes exposed her as a Skrull.
But the other passengers had no way of knowing that.
When Carol attacked what appeared to be a frail old lady, the surrounding commuters immediately rushed to intervene, pulling her back and giving the Skrull another opportunity to escape.
"Let go of me, you idiots!"
Carol fought off the crowd's hold but, in the process, lost sight of the Skrull. However, during the scuffle, she had managed to snatch a small, purple crystal—the Skrulls' device for storing information.
Once off the train, Carol activated the decryption function on her Kree suit to unlock the Skrull's transmission crystal. What she found left her stunned.
The Skrulls had two major objectives on Earth. One was Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, led by Dr. Wendy Lawson. The other was a bar—Pancho's Bar—a location that appeared in Carol's fragmented memories.
In those memories, she remembered celebrating something at that very bar with a friend.
Realizing this connection, and without a clear way to continue tracking the Skrulls, Carol decided to search for her lost past instead.
Using Earth's internet, she looked up the address of Pancho's Bar. Then, with the help of a map from a nearby convenience store, she pinpointed the exact location.
As for how she managed to get money to access the internet and buy the map?
Well, don't ask. Can it really be called stealing when a superhero does it? No, it's making a great sacrifice for world peace!
Not long after, Carol managed to get her hands on a biker outfit that blended in better with the locals. Then, after "borrowing" a motorcycle, she sped off toward Pancho's Bar.
...
Meanwhile, inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. research lab in the western United States, 'Martian Manhunter' opened the door, allowing Nick Fury and his superior, R. Keller, to step inside.
"What's the result of the investigation?" the two men immediately asked.
'Martian Manhunter' remained silent. As he wasn't a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, it wasn't his responsibility to report the findings. That task fell to a nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. researcher who had assisted in the investigation.
"As we all know, life on Earth is carbon-based," the researcher began. "But these aliens… aren't. We don't even know what element their bodies are made of. At the very least, whatever it is doesn't exist on our current periodic table."
The researcher's face was still full of shock, unable to process what they had discovered.
"Under Mr. Pennyworth's leadership, we conducted numerous tests. The reason these beings can shapeshift so seamlessly into any organism lies in their unique biological makeup. Their cells can completely mimic another life form on a molecular level. It's... unbelievable."
Fury, unimpressed by the scientific wonder of it all, cut to the point. He turned to look at 'Martian Manhunter'—who, in his eyes, was Reid.
"Reid, do you think LexCorp could develop a device that could differentiate these aliens from humans in a short period of time?"
'Martian Manhunter' had already anticipated Fury's question. He had sensed Fury's thoughts through telepathy while he was outside the laboratory.
However, before answering, he cast a quick glance at Keller.
Just like in the original movie plot, Skrulls had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. using unknown methods and had disguised themselves as Fury's direct superior. The Skrulls' disguise was nearly flawless. So much so that even Luthor, with his technological genius, would need at least ten years of research to create a device that could distinguish a Skrull from a human.
The technological landscape of 1995 was still too primitive, especially in the Marvel world, where scientific progress was wildly uneven.
While personal computers were just beginning to emerge, the military was already working on faster-than-light engines.
But no matter how advanced the Skrulls were, they had one fundamental weakness: telepathy.
Their disguise could fool anyone, but it couldn't fool themselves. Even though they could replicate the structure of the brain perfectly, their thoughts could not be hidden.
And since mutants existed in this world and Charles had no moral restraint, the Secret Invasion might never even happen.
For 'Martian Manhunter,' it was the same. While others couldn't distinguish a Skrull from a human, he could easily identify them. But since Fury had asked if LexCorp could develop technology to identify Skrulls, he kept his answer on topic.
"Ten years," he said. "With enough research material on the Skrulls, it would take at least ten years to develop technology capable of identifying them. The current technological level is just too low."
"I see. In that case, let's go find that Starforce lady," Fury decided.
He exchanged a glance with Keller before continuing.
"The police got a report about a missing motorcycle. Witness testimony confirms it was her."
Finally, Fury turned back to 'Martian Manhunter.'
"Reid, this is a serious matter. Would you be willing to join us?"
"Okay."
...
'Martian Manhunter' and Nick Fury left the S.H.I.E.L.D. laboratory, with Coulson now joining them—a slight deviation from the movie plot.
While on the way, 'Martian Manhunter' casually extended his telepathic senses, checking on Fury and Coulson's thoughts.
But when he did, he was slightly surprised. Both of them had somehow blanked their minds.
While he could still read their memories, he couldn't detect any other thoughts.
'I didn't expect them to go this far.'
'Martian Manhunter' had to admit that, as LexCorp grew into a massive force, steadily taking control of all of New York City, he had become less vigilant toward ordinary people.
This became especially obvious after receiving Martian Manhunter's role-play card, as well as the Aquaman and Atlantis follower cards that were now in use.
With the combined strength of those cards, he had surpassed humanity long ago.
And that power had made him, who had always been cautious, begin to lower his guard.
**
**
**
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!