The global situation on Earth wasn't great, and the atmosphere in the Kent household was equally somber. Even though the Kents knew that Clark wasn't truly dead, he hadn't fully recovered, which made the new year difficult for both the Kent and Danvers families. They even canceled their traditional holiday trip.
At first, the Kent family had planned to stay on the remote island indefinitely. After all, the mastermind behind the creation of Doomsday, Lex Luthor, was still at large. If they were captured again, it could expose a weakness that Robert couldn't afford.
However, Robert disagreed with the Kents' plan. In his view, staying isolated on the island would only worsen their already heavy hearts, especially since Clark hadn't yet recovered. Prolonged isolation would lead to even more depression and boredom.
More importantly, like Clark had once considered, Robert believed that since Lex Luthor already knew so much about them, there was a chance he could also discover the island's location. While the island might be safe to some extent, it existed in a subspace that Robert, even with his power, couldn't sense from Earth's normal space.
This meant that if Lex Luthor somehow managed to infiltrate the subspace and harm the Kents, Robert wouldn't even know it was happening. Even though the likelihood of Luthor accessing the island was low, Robert couldn't afford to gamble on something so crucial. He needed to eliminate every potential threat in the cradle.
The key concern that crossed Robert's mind was that, while the island's subspace could block many strong individuals and advanced technologies, it certainly couldn't stop the Martian Manhunter.
Yes, Robert remembered sensing the Martian Manhunter's presence earlier and realized that his disappearance during the rescue of the Kent family must be tied to Lex Luthor. Robert didn't know the Martian Manhunter's current condition, but he suspected it was bad—perhaps he wasn't even the same person anymore.
With these thoughts in mind, Robert dared not leave the Kents on the island alone. While Jor-El and Kong were formidable, and Kong's raw strength exceeded that of the Martian Manhunter, they couldn't stop him either.
In light of this, Robert brought the Kents off the island. Naturally, he had a method to ensure their safety. Several flows of qi were infused into the Kents' bodies, protecting them from external harm.
If these protective measures were triggered, Robert would sense it immediately and teleport to their side in an instant, ready to deal with any crisis.
After some persuasion, the Kents returned to their farm, and their spirits began to lift. Thanks to Robert's qi, which also had healing properties, the Kents' health improved somewhat as well.
Thus, as the new year began, Earth seemed eerily calm, as if the death of Superman had brought an end to all supernatural events.
However, while extraordinary incidents appeared to have vanished, the undercurrents hadn't stopped. The organizations backed by government agencies and powerful figures continued to grow in secret, and research into supernatural forces made significant breakthroughs.
Although Superman, the greatest apparent threat to Earth, was dead and the Saiyan no longer frequently appeared, this organization didn't stop its work.
From the moment it was created, the group was no longer just focused on countering Superman and the Saiyan. As their research into superhuman forces advanced, the organization's backers developed new ambitions—like toppling the Avengers, or using this newfound power to elevate their own status on Earth.
The Avengers, after gaining their powers, had no grand ambitions beyond becoming superheroes beloved by the public. That was enough for them.
But the government leaders and powerful figures backing this organization had different ideas. They had already tasted power, and with stronger forces in their hands, how could they not desire more?
For now, since their research into supernatural abilities wasn't yet complete, these ambitions hadn't fully surfaced. But it was only a matter of time.
Besides this growing organization, the original plans of other entities—like the HYDRA infiltrated by Skrulls—continued unabated.
To be honest, HYDRA in this world was quite unfortunate. In other universes, even when HYDRA was discovered, they could at least go down fighting, taking S.H.I.E.L.D. down with them. In most worlds, when HYDRA fell, S.H.I.E.L.D. would crumble along with it.
But here, HYDRA was far worse off. Thanks to the Skrulls' secret invasion, many of HYDRA's top leaders had been replaced.
The Skrulls couldn't believe their luck: a group of high-ranking officials without superhuman abilities, controlling both visible and shadowy power. What better targets for replacement could there be?
Over the years, the Skrulls had replaced nearly all of HYDRA's key personnel. The lower-ranking members didn't matter as much—these brainwashed soldiers were notorious for their obedience. Whoever commanded them, they would serve loyally.
The Skrulls' greatest success, however, was replacing Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. This meant that both sides of the organization—the visible S.H.I.E.L.D. and the secret HYDRA—were now under Skrull control. Nick Fury was a Skrull, and so was Alexander Pierce, the head of the World Security Council. At this point, there was no difference between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Skrull operations.
This greatly facilitated the Skrulls' plans.
The Skrulls didn't just continue HYDRA's original schemes, like the Insight Project, but also adapted them. The original Insight Project was based on big data collection and analysis, designed to predict and identify future threats to HYDRA's global dominance.
Now, with HYDRA fully infiltrated, the Skrulls modified the plan to also identify potential talents in various fields. Their goal was to replace these individuals with Skrulls and then use their resources to ensure the Skrulls' success.
More crucially, the Insight Project now aimed to analyze potential superhuman incidents worldwide. Whenever someone was poised to acquire superhuman abilities, the Skrulls would intercept them, claiming those powers for themselves.
After all, ordinary Skrulls were still too weak. Even with their shape-shifting abilities, they lacked combat strength unless they became Super Skrulls.
That's why the Insight Project's focus on identifying superpowers was so vital. It could help the Skrull versions of Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury gain the strength to evolve into Super Skrulls.
As for the original plan to assassinate threats, Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury had no intention of implementing it just yet. Killing people with orbital strikes would be far too obvious, and the Avengers would quickly catch on.
Thanks to their cooperation, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s three helicarriers were successfully launched into orbit, allowing the Insight Project to proceed without raising any alarms. After all, there was no Captain America to sabotage it.
"I think you need to take a look at this," said the voice of Doctor Zola, as more data from the Insight Project rolled in.
Once all the top HYDRA leaders were replaced, Doctor Zola wasn't spared either. Although he had long since transferred his consciousness into machines, becoming a form of artificial intelligence, he was nowhere near as advanced as J.A.R.V.I.S.
For the Skrulls, whose technology far surpassed Earth's, controlling Zola was child's play. Soon enough, Zola had become just another Skrull tool.
"What? Clark Kent is Superman? Robert Kent is a Saiyan? And they're brothers?!" Alexander Pierce's eyes widened as he read the report, shouting in surprise.
"They're not biological brothers. Superman is a Kryptonian adopted by the Kent family, and we don't know exactly what planet the Saiyan is from, but he's also adopted by the Kents," Zola explained, providing more detailed information.
"So that's how it is. Two incredibly powerful beings, raised by a simple farming couple. Unbelievable!" Pierce remarked, amazed.
While Robert and Clark's identities had been known to some, the Skrull posing as Batman had kept this information to himself, passing it only to Lex Luthor to maintain his cover.
For Alexander Pierce, this was the first time learning the truth about Clark and Robert. And with this revelation came a new surge of ambition.
This ambition belonged to the original Alexander Pierce.
For Pierce and the other Earth-based power-holders, Robert and Clark were dangerous not just because of their overwhelming strength, but because they had no known weaknesses. With no way to control them, they were unpredictable threats.
But now, everything had changed. Clark, the Kryptonian, was dead. But Robert, who had displayed his devastating power during the battle with Doomsday, was still alive. Many on Earth coveted Robert's abilities—including Alexander Pierce, despite being a Skrull.
"If I can control the Saiyan and somehow become a Super Skrull, copying his powers, I'd be stronger than the rest of them," Pierce thought, remembering the destructive power Robert had unleashed.
When the prize is big enough, even reckless risks become tempting. Lex Luthor hadn't been fully prepared, yet he had acted anyway—and nearly succeeded.
If an ordinary human like Luthor had almost pulled it off, surely the Skrulls had an even better chance. Especially since the Kents seemed to be living quietly on their farm, with no apparent security precautions...
"And not just the Kents, but the Danvers family as well," Zola's voice interrupted Pierce's thoughts, displaying a new set of data.
"The Kryptonian Supergirl, also adopted by the Danvers family. And they have a biological daughter—someone you should know well."
"The Danvers? Wait! Carol?!" Pierce exclaimed, stunned.
His shock was greater than before, for to the Skrulls,
Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, held special significance.
During the Skrulls' darkest days, it was Captain Marvel who had helped them escape Kree persecution, found them a new home, and supported their growth. Carol Danvers was a hero and savior to the Skrulls.
However, this debt had become a heavy burden. Unable to properly repay her, the Skrulls' feelings shifted over time. And with the emergence of Super Skrulls, they realized they had a way to free themselves from this debt entirely…
Thus, the Skrulls had betrayed Captain Marvel. Now, they had arrived on her home planet, Earth, to begin their secret invasion...
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]