"It seems like you're a bit behind on the news around here!" Robert, hearing Blanch's words, didn't immediately deal with the Skrulls. Instead, he smiled at Blanch, raising an eyebrow.
Previously, Robert hadn't thought too highly of Blanch. After all, Blanch had once been an enemy of the Avengers and had even defeated Kara. But considering that Blanch, along with his clones, hadn't attacked and had even tried to stop the soldiers, Robert's attitude toward him softened a bit.
"What news?" Blanch asked, confusion flashing in his eyes. He didn't understand what Robert was referring to.
Clearly, the higher-ups at this military base had kept all information about the Skrulls hidden. Since General Kelly and his subordinates had been replaced by Skrulls, it was easy for them to keep everyone in the dark about what was happening outside.
Even though Blanch had enhanced sensory abilities, he hadn't been monitoring outside intelligence all the time, nor did he have the habit of doing so. Furthermore, his sensory abilities had their limits, and this base was located in a remote area, far from any civilization. Blanch couldn't sense what was happening in the outside world—not yet, at least.
"The Skrull invasion. Over ten thousand Skrulls capable of shape-shifting have secretly infiltrated Earth, replacing many high-ranking humans. That guy tied up over there is one of them," Robert said, gesturing toward Gravik. "They've infiltrated humans at the highest levels. If you don't believe me, contact the outside world, and you'll see."
"Skrulls? Aliens? A secret invasion?" Blanch's pupils contracted. While ordinary aliens didn't alarm him, the idea of a secret invasion, with Skrulls replacing human leaders, was a different matter altogether. If General Kelly was truly a Skrull in disguise, the threat posed by the Skrulls was much larger than Blanch had anticipated.
"Give me a moment!" Blanch took a deep breath and quickly walked to the control panel, contacting his own network.
Though Blanch was the backbone of this military faction, he still had his own circle of connections. Before gaining his powers, Blanch had been a soldier with a doctorate in electrical engineering and physics—a true genius.
Because of his background, Blanch's social network was quite extensive. It was through these connections that the Martian Manhunter had once pleaded on Blanch's behalf after his defeat at Robert's hands.
Even though Blanch had lost contact with the Martian Manhunter, he still had other connections. In no time, Blanch learned of the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Skrulls' warship threatening Earth.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen? And it was mostly Hydra agents inside, who were in turn replaced by Skrulls?" Blanch's eyes widened in shock, struggling to accept the information he was receiving.
If Blanch hadn't confirmed it from multiple sources, he would've thought it was fake news.
Wait a second, has S.H.I.E.L.D. been this messed up all along? So even without the Skrull invasion, S.H.I.E.L.D. was controlled by Hydra? No wonder they were always leading the charge against the Avengers—it was personal!
You ask what kind of grudge? Well, it's the whole Captain America-Steve Rogers versus Hydra story. Hydra probably still holds a grudge against Steve, thinking that if it weren't for him, they'd already be ruling the world. They wouldn't have needed to hide within S.H.I.E.L.D., but could have openly controlled humanity.
"The Skrulls are really that powerful? Their disguises have no flaws? I couldn't tell the difference between General Kelly and the real one at all..." Blanch muttered, his eyes fixed on Gravik.
"Of course. Otherwise, how could they be confident in pulling off a secret invasion?" Robert said with a smirk. "By the way, I've already been to the Skrull base where they were holding key captives. If your General Kelly hasn't returned by now, he's probably not coming back. So, what's your next move?"
As soon as Robert finished speaking, with a swift "whoosh," a ki blast pierced through General Kelly and his officers, revealing their true Skrull forms. Both Blanch and the soldiers around him let out a collective sigh of relief.
It was true—General Kelly and his men were Skrulls in disguise. This meant Robert hadn't killed their real superiors, and they didn't need to risk their lives fighting this powerful being.
"My next move?" Blanch asked, confused after a moment of relief. "What do you mean?"
"I'm asking, what are you planning to do now? Your faction no longer has its figurehead. Can you still hold the same privileged position? Do you still have access to the same resources? And with all your researchers dead, who's going to continue studying these little ones?" Robert gestured toward the small Blanch clones, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Moreover, these clones were part of the Skrulls' research. Can you really trust that? Is there a possibility that this entire project wasn't even yours from the start, but a Skrull plot to steal your powers?"
"Think about it—if this research was initiated by the Skrulls, do you even know how to continue it? These clones seem unstable..." Robert's words were laced with hidden knowledge he had gathered from Gravik. Since Skrulls like Alexander Pierce had gained powers by exploiting opportunities related to superhumans, it wasn't far-fetched to think that the Skrulls in this base were trying to harness Blanch's power through these clones.
At the very least, if the Skrulls could unlock superhuman abilities and stimulate their own evolution, they could become Super Skrulls, capable of mimicking super-powered beings.
While Gravik didn't have all the details about the Super Skrulls, Robert's deductions about the Skrulls' plans seemed plausible. The little Blanches might just be expendable research material for the Skrulls.
"This project... it hasn't been around for long..." Blanch hesitated, his mind swirling with doubt.
The Skrulls' disguises were indeed perfect, making it hard for even the closest individuals to detect them. But once you identified a Skrull, it became easier to trace back their activities and uncover their schemes.
Especially when the seed of doubt was planted, trust was hard to maintain.
Now that Blanch was beginning to suspect the Skrulls' involvement in the project, he realized that the future of these clones was grim. Without the researchers, and with the instability of the clones' powers, their survival was uncertain.
Blanch felt conflicted about the clones. To him, they were almost like his children, similar to how Hellboy might feel about his demonic army. The clones were created from his essence, and if possible, Blanch wanted them to live.
"Do you have a solution?" Blanch asked Robert, his tone a mix of eagerness and hesitation.
"I don't have one myself, but Tony Stark might. The Avengers have done plenty of research on Skrulls and superhuman powers. I'm sure Tony could help you…" Robert smirked slightly, revealing his true intent.
Since Blanch was powerful and came with a bonus team of clones, Robert wanted to recruit him into the Avengers.
It was a better option than killing Blanch or leaving him in the military, where future conflicts of interest might turn them into enemies. Bringing Blanch into the Avengers would be a win-win.
"The Avengers, huh?" Blanch understood Robert's suggestion and, to be honest, he was tempted.
Joining the Avengers would offer more freedom than his current situation. Plus, few people, even after years of studying superpowers, had intelligence that surpassed Tony Stark. Stark's expertise in science was far superior to the researchers in the military.
If Tony Stark couldn't help the clones, then no one could. Blanch was willing to place his hopes on Stark's brilliance.
Moreover, joining the Avengers meant Blanch wouldn't have to face Robert as an enemy again, which was a huge relief.
"I accept," Blanch said seriously, nodding to Robert.
"And what about us?" The soldiers and officers in the base began signaling to Blanch and Robert, hinting that they wanted to be included in the plan as well.
Unfortunately, Robert had no interest in recruiting ordinary soldiers. Bringing too many into the Avengers would risk leaking information, and Robert didn't want to waste time screening them for potential spies like the Martian Manhunter used to.
Blanch didn't care much about his colleagues either. He knew the Avengers wouldn't take them in. Besides, with no high-ranking officials left in the base, these soldiers would easily be absorbed into other military factions.
Seeing Blanch agree to his terms, Robert smiled in satisfaction and fired a ki blast, incinerating the Skrull corpses completely, leaving no trace behind.
"What was that?" Blanch asked, startled.
"I'm just making sure their bodies are destroyed. We don't want their genetic material to be cloned, creating new Skrulls. That would be even worse than their secret invasion," Robert explained calmly.
"True. Some abilities really shouldn't exist in large numbers," Blanch muttered, understanding that Robert's careful cleanup wasn't just about the Skrulls, but also about ensuring that no one could replicate Robert's power.
Blanch wholeheartedly agreed. If Earth were ever overrun by beings with Robert's abilities, no one would survive, and Earth's civilization would be wiped out.
"Jarvis, give him a real-time communication signal so he can head over on his own. And make sure Tony knows what's going on—don't let any misunderstandings happen," Robert said, instructing Jarvis, the AI, before turning to Blanch. "Take
them to Tony as soon as possible. I've got more Skrulls to deal with."
"Understood," Blanch replied, wasting no time. After getting in touch with Jarvis, he left the base with the small clones, while Robert had already disappeared.
"Blanch? It's him? He's quite strong. While he can't replace Superman or the Martian Manhunter, he'll make up for some of the lost power. As for the clones, I'll have to study them to see if they can be saved…" Tony Stark's eyes lit up as he received the news from Robert, eager to have Blanch and his clones join the Avengers.
With Blanch and his clones gone, the military base fell into silence and confusion. There was no one left in charge, and the highest-ranking officer remaining was a mid-level officer who had no idea what to do next.
"I'm finally back! Blanch! Get ready! We need to head to a secret base! There's a treasure trove of Skrull technology there, and we can't let Bruce Wayne take it all for himself!" The real General Kelly's voice suddenly echoed through the base. But it quickly turned to fury as he realized something was wrong.
"Saiyan! You're stealing my prize?!"
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