Jarvis controlled the plane, bringing it to a smooth stop on the lawn outside the White House.
Anton stepped off with Monica, immediately noticing a group of heavily armed guards surrounding the aircraft. Their weapons were trained on him, their stances tense and ready.
Among them, however, was a familiar face.
An old friend.
"Anton."
Secretary of Defense John Keller greeted him first, then waved to the guards beside him.
"Stand down. He's one of us."
The soldiers lowered their weapons.
Keller's gaze then shifted to Monica.
"And who's this?"
"She's Monica Rambeau, daughter of Maria Rambeau, director of S.W.O.R.D. I'll explain everything later."
Anton didn't linger on introductions. He stepped closer to Keller and said, "Let's go. Take me to the President."
As they spoke—
Whoosh!
A deafening sonic boom shattered the air.
The guards instinctively tensed, their eyes darting skyward as a red-and-gold figure streaked toward them.
Iron Man.
Anton barely reacted, only shrugging as he watched Tony descend.
"Looks like the fight is over," he said casually.
"Over?" Keller's face lit up with hope. "Did you take the enemy down?"
"No."
Anton shook his head. "She got away."
"Yeah, she ran."
Tony landed beside them, his armor retracting and revealing him in a sharp suit. His expression, however, was anything but composed—his face was a mixture of frustration and confusion.
He turned to Anton, his voice edged with impatience.
"What the hell is going on? Who was that woman?"
Anton answered succinctly.
"Her name is Carol Danvers—an ace pilot with ties to an alien incident from the last century. She was also connected to Project Pegasus, the same program that indirectly triggered the Battle of New York."
Tony narrowed his eyes. "So what does that mean?"
Anton gestured toward Monica.
"If you want a more personal perspective, ask Monica. Carol Danvers and her mother, Maria Rambeau, were close. Monica probably remembers her better than anyone else here. Right?"
He turned to Monica, giving her a knowing look.
"You were practically part of that incident yourself."
Monica's expression grew complicated. She hesitated before nodding.
"Yes," she admitted, her voice quieter than before.
She studied Anton, a trace of unease creeping in.
It was unsettling—how much he already knew.
It was as if nothing was hidden from him.
"Aunt Carol was my mother's best friend," she said at last.
Then, after a pause, she added, "I don't believe she would ever become... that."
Keller exhaled sharply. "Alright, let's take this inside."
Inside the Oval Office, all non-essential personnel were dismissed.
Seated in the room were the President, Secretary of Defense John Keller, Tony, Monica, and Anton.
Anton wasted no time.
"This situation involves the Skrulls," he stated firmly.
"The Carol Danvers you saw just now wasn't the real Carol. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Keller's eyes widened. His mind processed the implication instantly.
"You mean… that was an imposter? A Skrull in disguise?"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"Impossible."
Monica shook her head.
"The Skrulls may have shape-shifting abilities, but they can't replicate superpowers. They can mimic appearances and voices perfectly—but not abilities. What you're suggesting doesn't add up."
Anton's gaze locked onto her.
"Then tell me—do you really believe the woman who just went toe-to-toe with two Justice League heroes was the real Carol Danvers?"
Monica's expression faltered.
She had no answer.
Anton pressed on.
"And another thing—" he leaned slightly toward her, voice steady but pointed, "Who told you Skrulls couldn't copy superpowers? A Skrull? And why are you so sure they were telling the truth?"
Silence.
Monica's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Because she realized—
She had no real reason to believe it.
"Everyone here is aware of the Kree invasion that took place in the last century."
Anton spoke without even sparing Tony a glance.
Tony, however, was dumbfounded.
What do you mean, 'everyone' knows?
I don't know!
What the hell are the Kree?
Wasn't the last big alien invasion the Transformers? When did the Kree show up?
Before he could voice his confusion, Anton continued:
"Nick Fury was directly involved in that incident. It was the event that made him a hero within S.H.I.E.L.D.—his most celebrated achievement. But looking at things now, it seems S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have heroes anymore. And it likely never will again."
"At the same time, that incident is also Nick Fury's biggest stain. He harbored the aliens left behind on Earth—the Skrulls—and gave them a place to hide."
"For over a decade, under the protection of Nick Fury—and possibly others, such as Maria Rambeau of S.W.O.R.D.—the Skrulls remained in hiding. Slowly, they grew in number and influence. And from what we've seen today, it looks like they've now split into two major factions."
"One faction are Fury's loyalists. They followed him onto a spaceship and left Earth recently. Only a handful remained as his spies. The other faction…" Anton's eyes darkened slightly. "Are the ones we just fought. They're the ones trying to infiltrate Earth from the shadows."
His explanation painted a clear picture for everyone in the room.
Tony, now processing everything at full speed, finally started to piece together the origins of the Skrulls.
But Monica wasn't satisfied just yet.
"You still haven't explained how a Skrull can turn into my Aunt Carol and—more importantly—why they can use her superpowers."
Anton barely hesitated. "That part is simple."
"They evolved."
A silence fell over the room.
"Evolved?"
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
Anton nodded. "Some of them have spent years refining and enhancing their abilities. They've undergone modifications, experiments—whatever it took to transcend their natural limits. And in doing so, they created something new. A more advanced form of Skrull."
"Think of them as… Super-Skrulls."
His voice was steady, matter-of-fact.
"This one was able to not only copy Carol Danvers' appearance but also replicate her abilities. And that's not speculation—we all just witnessed it firsthand."
Tony narrowed his eyes. "And how are you so sure?"
Anton didn't blink. "Because I know for a fact that the real Carol Danvers isn't on Earth."
Tony's expression shifted slightly. "And how exactly do you know that?"
Anton paused for a moment, then said, "Because there's no way she could have traveled across multiple galaxies in such a short period of time. Logically, the Carol Danvers we saw today has to be an imposter."
Tony stared at him, his mind working through the implications.
Then, slowly, a realization hit him.
His eyes narrowed further.
"You have a news source in space."
The room went still.
Tony let out a breath, shaking his head slightly. "No, wait—it's not you, is it?" He gave Anton a sharp look. "It's Batman."
A brief silence.
Then his expression shifted again.
"No. It's Superman."
Tony's voice carried a mix of disbelief and something close to awe.
"You have Superman."
Keller, listening closely, suddenly recalled something.
"Wait a minute…" His mind raced as he pieced together recent events.
"Superman is supposed to be in the Justice League… but no one's ever actually seen him. He's never made a public appearance."
He thought back to the growing reports—strange, seemingly supernatural events occurring in places like Los Angeles, Constantine's recent appearance, the confirmed existence of an entire hidden magical world that seemed separate from their own reality…
The pieces started to align.
And suddenly, Keller found himself nodding at Tony's deduction.
"The reason Superman has never appeared…" He exhaled. "Is because he's not on Earth."
…
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