"Remember! Do not show your true form in front of anyone, not even during a fight!" Lex Luthor instructed Martian Hunter, worried that once the Hunter left, he might lead the Avengers straight to him. More specifically, Lex feared Robert, a person he had no way of dealing with at this stage, might track him down.
Martian Hunter soon departed, disguised as an unremarkable man, blending into the crowd while following Lex's orders.
"I can't believe this happened. I'm alive again?" Martian Hunter's inner turmoil was anything but calm. His thoughts raced. "Lex Luthor cloned me using my genes, creating a body almost identical to mine, with only minor differences…"
As his thoughts flowed, his exterior disguise remained intact, but his internal cells began restructuring themselves. Lex Luthor's technology was indeed advanced, and his research on Martian Hunter's genes was commendable. However, there were still subtle differences between the clone and the original Martian Hunter.
Thankfully, for Martian Hunter, these differences posed no problem. His abilities allowed him to adjust and correct such issues effortlessly.
Unfortunately, Martian Hunter couldn't fix all of his problems. For example, he couldn't disobey Lex Luthor's commands. He couldn't even contact the Avengers midway through his mission.
Martian Hunter had just tried to reach out to Jarvis or Robert, but as soon as the thought entered his mind, his powers vanished instantly, almost causing him to collapse.
He recognized this sensation all too well. It was the same loss of power he experienced when confronted by fire. Martian Hunter deduced that Lex had used some method to alter his perceptions, making him lose his powers whenever he had thoughts of betrayal or wished harm upon Lex.
For Martian Hunter, this was a death sentence. Just as he had been unable to overcome his fear of fire, he now couldn't change this new perception, even though he was a master of the mind. It was a classic case of the healer being unable to heal themselves. Unless someone as strong or stronger than him could alter his perception, Martian Hunter truly had no way of escaping Lex's control.
"It seems I have no choice but to wait for the right moment. I'll follow Lex's orders for now. Sooner or later, I'll encounter the Avengers again. I wonder how Lex tricked Superman, and what was that monster about…" Martian Hunter thought, frustrated that he couldn't freely use his powers to uncover the specifics of the Doomsday incident. For now, he had to focus on the intelligence Lex had tasked him with gathering.
Meanwhile, at the Avengers base, Robert suddenly raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting toward where Martian Hunter had last been.
"What's wrong?" Diana, having just put away the Lasso of Truth and shaking her head at another Skrull's shriveled body, noticed Robert's unusual reaction.
"I think I just sensed Martian Hunter's energy!" Robert frowned, fully extending his energy-sensing abilities but unable to pick up the trace again. Still, he didn't give up. "I'll go check it out. Maybe Martian Hunter isn't dead after all. There's no new intel here anyway…"
Whoosh! In an instant, Robert vanished, leaving the Avengers behind, looking at one another, a mix of hesitation and hope in their eyes.
Martian Hunter's sacrifice during the Doomsday incident had been a painful blow. The possibility that he might still be alive was something the Avengers dared to hope for. If Martian Hunter had survived, their fight against the Skrulls might not be as difficult as it currently was. Robert had already captured the four Skrulls posing as senators, and Diana had questioned them with the Lasso of Truth.
Originally, the Avengers had thought that these four Skrulls would provide more valuable intel about their kind. However, their information was identical to Malek's. They didn't know much about the other Skrull squads or who else had been replaced. Like Malek, they were killed by the curse when they reached sensitive topics. Even Robert, with all his skills, couldn't save them from this deep-rooted genetic curse.
"Nothing?" Elsewhere, Robert reappeared in the sky over a bustling street, scanning the area for any sign of Martian Hunter. He extended his perception, searching for his friend.
But no matter how hard he tried, Robert couldn't find a trace of Martian Hunter. By now, the Hunter had long since left the area.
Martian Hunter's method of disguise was similar to that of the Skrulls, altering his genetic structure. This changed not only his appearance but also his energy signature, making it nearly impossible for Robert to sense him unless Martian Hunter's powers were disrupted, causing his genes and energy to revert to their original state.
"There's no way it was an illusion. It seems Martian Hunter is still alive. If he's alive, we'll find him eventually," Robert thought, his eyes gleaming as he returned to the Avengers base.
"Did you find him?" Johnny Storm asked hesitantly when he saw Robert return alone.
"No, but I'm sure my senses were accurate. He's hiding, probably dealing with something we don't know about," Robert replied, shaking his head slowly.
"If he's not dead, why hasn't he come back?" Pietro asked, frowning in confusion.
"I don't know. I'll keep an eye on him. When he reappears, we'll learn more," Robert said, turning to Tony Stark. "Now, about tracking down Lex Luthor and any leads on the Skrulls. Let me know when you have something. I'll handle it. Whatever you do, don't confront suspected Skrulls by yourselves!"
"You think if I set a trap, I might catch something big?" Tony Stark asked after a moment of silence, looking at Robert with a testing tone.
"No!" Robert instantly understood what Tony was implying and shot the idea down. "We still know too little about the Skrulls. No one can guarantee that setting a trap is safe. And no one can guarantee that the Skrulls won't kill you and replace you!"
"After all, up to this point, we've only learned from a few Skrulls that some people are still alive. But we don't know who exactly…" Robert added.
"I'm more valuable than some random senators, right?" Tony chuckled confidently. "Even if they replace me, I doubt a Skrull could replicate my genius!"
"You may be confident in your intellect, but the Skrulls are just as confident in their abilities!" Mobius, standing nearby, reminded Tony. "Remember, the Skrull posing as Batman acted almost exactly like the real Batman. Even his closest allies couldn't tell them apart…"
"During the Doomsday incident, the Skrull Batman performed just like the real one. Who's to say they wouldn't master your genius too? They might even improve your tech with their own," Mobius continued.
"Mobius is right. We can't be sure Batman's alive, so none of us can take that risk. Don't even think about it," Robert added. "Instead of coming up with risky plans, focus on finding more clues and improving your combat readiness."
"Lex Luthor's plan didn't fully succeed, but we also failed. Not only did we lose Superman and Martian Hunter, but we also exposed our powers and limits to Luthor."
"Luthor already knows a lot about us, but his main targets have been me, Kara, Superman, and Martian Hunter. What if he shifts his focus to you? Can you hold up if he targets you directly?" Robert asked sharply.
"Damn! Having this guy lurking in the shadows is driving me nuts!" Pietro growled. "Especially since he's hiding like a rat, not showing his face at all."
"He'll slip up eventually!" Robert's eyes glinted. "He won't give up trying to take us down, especially after I killed his Doomsday creation!"
"And as long as he's still after us, he'll need to make contact with the outside world, whether for funds or materials. If Jarvis and Tony keep an eye on things, he'll expose himself, just like Killian did."
"Got it! Leave it to me!" Tony nodded, feeling the urgency.
Just as Pietro had said, the thought of Lex Luthor watching them from the shadows was unsettling. Combined with the threat of the Skrulls, Tony knew he couldn't rest until they were all dealt with.
Soon, Robert, Kara, Diana, and Lana Lang left the Avengers base. Diana returned home, while Robert, Kara, and Lana headed to the remote island.
To be honest, Robert still didn't know how to break the news about Clark to the Kents. There was no way to deceive them. After everything that had happened, even with them being kidnapped, the Kents wouldn't be fooled easily.
It wouldn't be too suspicious if Clark didn't show up for a short while, given his responsibilities as Superman. But Clark's current condition meant he'd likely be gone for at least a year. With that long of an absence, the Kents were bound to start asking questions.
And Lana's mood wasn't great either. Even though Robert had told her Clark wasn't dead and was showing signs of recovery, knowing he had to stay in the sun for a long time made her deeply sad.
"You're back. Is he really dead?" As soon as Robert and the others stepped onto the island, Jor-El's projection appeared before them, his expression sorrowful.
"How do you know?" Robert asked, puzzled.
"Not just me. They know too. We all heard Kal's final cry before he died…" Jor-El explained, his expression filled with grief.
"Even here, you heard Clark's voice?" Robert sighed softly before speaking. "Let's go.
I'll explain everything to Martha and the others."
Soon, they arrived at the house on the island. Martha lay on the couch, her expression sorrowful, with Mrs. Danvers comforting her. Mr. Danvers and Jonathan sat together in silence.
"Robert!" Martha was the first to react when she saw him. She tried to get up in her anxious state, but Robert waved his hand, sending a warm energy to calm her body.
"Don't worry. Clark isn't dead!" Robert explained to the Kents and Jor-El. "He's badly injured and needs time to recover. That's why I placed him in the sun to absorb its energy and heal…"
"If you'd like, I can bring him back for you to see, but he hasn't woken up yet…"
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