“How do you keep getting stronger…” Juggernaut gazed at his own fist, his body wrapped in crimson force. The power of Cyttorak expanded around him, an orb of violent chaos that outshone the stars. “I feel like you’ve never shown me your true strength.”
“In our first battle, we fought with everything we had,” Dan smiled as Juggernaut launched himself forward on a wave of power, hands extended toward his face. He slid to the side and kicked the bigger man on the back, a blow that rocketed him past the edges of the solar system. “It’s been many years since then and I’m afraid my growth has outpaced yours.”
Juggernaut slapped a palm and halted his uncontrolled flight, a pulse of energy that ripped a hole in the fabric of space. Feet planted in the splintered void, he vaulted forward for another attack. Dan reached out and met fist with fist, a clash of forces that birthed a temporary star.
“That cursed biology of yours is too overbearing,” Juggernaut ground his teeth as he drew more power from Cyttorak’s dimension than ever before, a bloom of crimson that broke over Dan like a wave. “When can I get one of those serums of yours?”
“You’ll get one when Cyttorak and I can sign an equal contract between us,” Dan shrugged, fist drawn back as he flashed through space. He was willing to ally with Juggernauts master, but it needed to be an agreement between equals. “No Kryptonian will serve a god that isn’t officially aligned with the Empire…”
“We have captured another batch of infiltrators,” Venom’s voice interrupted his focus and allowed Juggernaut to swat him into a nearby star. “Shall I convert them like the others?”
Dan sighed as he let himself pass through the foreign sun and back into the void. The Skrulls had continued their assaults on the Kree, despite the aggressive Empire’s radical change of heart. Over the last several years, Venom had transformed the Kree into a model society.
“Convert them and continue to monitor their leaders,” Dan waved his hand and transported Juggernaut back to the surface of Earth. He had an interest in the Skrulls, specifically the Super Skrulls that commanded their forces. “Once you’ve taken control of enough of them, hopefully we’ll have reliable information to find the others.”
The Skrulls operated like a resistance movement or collective of terrorist cells. Most individuals knew nothing about the activities of any but those closest to them, a tactic that had thwarted Venom’s efforts to uproot them from the Kree worlds.
They were the only bump in a smooth road of progress over the last six or seven years. Earth had risen beyond its oppressive, profit first mindset. Its citizens lived to pursue their core interests, rather than serve at the beck and call of those in power.
“I should do another scan for any Skrull agents on Earth,” Dan moved to the planet’s orbit with a single thought, perceptions wrapped around the globe like a blanket. From his study of those captured by Venom’s Kree, they all contained a trace of unnatural energy. “Hmmm… It looks like Nick Fury is already a relatively high member of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
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The iconic commander was currently in a conversation with another familiar face, Agent Phil Coulson on his first day on the job. The sight tickled at the back of his mind, a motivation to continue his search for potential infiltrators. Coulson’s first day was marked by the arrival of the Skrulls on Earth, though the events had been changed enough that they may never arrive.
“No Skrulls that I can see,” Dan finished his scan and returned his focus to Fury and Coulson. It would be a good idea to meet the agents face to face, especially since he knew they were true loyalists to Howard and S.H.I.E.L.D. “I wonder how much Coulson would fan out if I brought Steve along…”
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“What is this place?” Anakin shivered as he peered over the edge of a fathomless chasm. Its depth glowed with ruddy orange light, the flicker of embers that were ready to burst back into flame. “It’s like a black hole in the Force, a bottomless pit of the dark side.”
“This is the Well of the Dark Side, the channel for my brother’s power,” the Daughter held one hand over her nose to guard against the sulfuric mists, body suspended a foot above the broken ground. “The full might of the dark side of the Force flows through this chasm, a complete universal nexus that has few equals.”
“A great power, indeed!” Merlyn joined Anakin at the rocky precipice, hands extended toward the distant heat. “I would like to experiment with the energy within, it may be possible to harness its might without the need for the Force’s permission.”
“I would keep my hands to myself, old man,” the Son drifted in from the mists, eyes narrowed as he assessed the Wizard’s power. “This nexus belongs to me and no other, despite the useless ramblings of my father.”
Merlyn snorted and ignored the Son, while May positioned herself between the red-eyed Force God and the weaker members of her group. She would indulge the Daughter because she was polite, but she had no problem teaching the son a lesson if she had too.
Before the angered darksider could respond, the Daughter waved a hand and banished him with a flash. The green haired woman gave an apologetic smile and bowed her head, while the Son’s voice cursed her from the distance.
“A battle between us will do no one any good, and I truly hope that at least Anakin will choose to accept my father’s offer,” the Daughter’s bright eyes flashed as she looked between Goku and Anissa. “Though it would be wonderful if both of you accepted as well!”
“I’m not much for magic,” Goku shrugged, hands extended to his sides as he peered down into the molten chasm. “I wouldn't have the first idea how to use the power you’re offering.”
“That’s why Father offered you the position as the avatar of the dark side,” the Daughter laughed, bells and songbirds on the heels of her voice. “Instinct is all you need to walk that path, my talentless brother is a good example of that.”
“Send me away again and I’ll show you just how ‘talentless’ I am, dear sister,” A flare of crimson flame and the Son returned, face set in an aggrieved mask. “I would bet on myself ten times out of ten in a battle between us.”
“I’m hurt that you have so little faith in me, brother,” the Daughter rolled her eyes and pulled a face in the Son’s direction. “Also, I never said you were weak… I said that you had no talent! Those are two completely different things!”
“Why don’t you all continue on your way and keep exploring,” Merlyn straightened his hat and manifested a chair next to the dark side well. “All this chatter is making it difficult to think!”
“I told you…”
“Come, brother, let us show our visitors the underground altar,” the Daughter silenced the Son with a snap of her fingers, eyes lit a brilliant green that matched her hair. “I’m sure you’re also interested in their reaction to that place…”
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“Hey Stark, the custom sensors we installed on the satellite network just pinged back a response,” Reed Richards moved aside for his wife, who scanned through the information on his screen. “It looks like there’s another cosmic energy storm on approach.”
“The signal isn’t identical, but it’s far more concentrated,” Sue shifted the sensor data to the large wall sized display, where Tony could see it for himself. “I’d say it’s more than ten times smaller, but with a hundred times the energy.”
“Hmmm…” Tony reached out to manipulate the screen, a twist of his hand that zoomed in on an image of a silver flare of light. “I think this thing is way smaller than a tenth the size of that first cloud, and I don’t think it’s a cosmic storm.”
“You might be right,” Richards narrowed his eyes and squinted at the fuzzy image. Almost hidden within the light, there was the faintest outline of a man. “I think we should send a signal to Superman…”