The Pursuers Had Arrived
After entering Louisiana, Nick Fury spent some time figuring out Maria Rambo's whereabouts.
There were no navigation maps in this era that could directly guide you to a specific house number. You had to search for yourself on a map and guess where you were and where to go.
The conclusion is that, unless the opponent is an idiot, they should have caught up by now after such a long time.
What If...? the Skrulls continue to use their false identities, their superior authority would make it even easier for them to find out what Vers and Nick Fury are looking for in the base's archives.
They don't even need to deliberately track where the Quinjet is flying; they should have a way to deduce its destination directly. This alien race, whose entire population excels at infiltrating enemy territory and seizing power through subversive means, can't be stupid, can they?
Therefore, Henry did not think at all that the anomaly he had discovered was a coincidence. Upon closer inspection, sure enough, he immediately found evidence that the visitor had ill intentions.
Three identical SUVs drove into the town where they landed, the occupants mostly dressed in black suits. The S.H.I.E.L.D. support they had waited for outside the Air Force base, including Agent Kohler, the one who ordered the arrest of Henry and Barbara, was also there.
Judging from this entourage, it doesn't resemble the scene in the movie where only two people showed up. So, are they all Skrulls in disguise, or have some S.H.I.E.L.D.. idiots been tricked into coming again?
Without confirming this, it's difficult to take action against them.
Furthermore, in the movie, the reason only two Skrulls came was because they discovered evidence that Vers could be won over. Therefore, they didn't intend to confront him directly but instead used a persuasive strategy, attempting to win Vers over with a sense of shared hatred.
Now three cars have arrived, bringing a total of fourteen people. Does this change indicate a shift in their strategy?
Recalling the previous events, the only clue Henry could think of was the stolen car he had abandoned by the roadside. Because there was no one in the car, the Skrulls had reason to believe that he had met up with Nick Fury and the others.
So, this Kryptonian became a variable?
Considering that the Kryptonian were immediately chased and attacked by the Skrulls as soon as they appeared, it would be best for them to avoid them now that they are catching up.
Anyway, these people can't hide anything from me once they start talking. Keeping a distance will make it easier for me to escape if I need to.
As for the troubles he's in, it's fair to say that Henry's fear of provoking someone like Mystique isn't without reason. Instead of directly confronting her, she's just throwing mud at him, and Henry still doesn't have a good solution.
Before Vers chose to cooperate with the Skrulls, annihilating the aliens was one option. But that would require Nick Fury to clean up the mess and have a proper method to identify the Skrulls.
Henry certainly didn't want to owe Nick Fury a favor; it was practically tantamount to selling himself into servitude.
As for how to identify Skrulls, Henry isn't entirely confident yet. If he accidentally kills someone from S.H.I.E.L.D.. because of it, don't think they'll kindly forgive him with a friendly fire citation.
Regardless, I am an outsider, not an employee of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Expecting them to understand the unavoidable accidental injuries I caused is like hoping that the United States will change its nature and become peace-loving.
So the only option now is to wait and see. And then gamble that Krypton and the Skrulls aren't some kind of sworn enemy, that they'd fight to the death if they met.
Let Kitty run wild in the woods, while Henry keeps an eye on the group of S. H. I. E. L. D. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who have infiltrated the Skrulls, and the group inside Maria Rambo's house.
It was precisely because he was watching from the sidelines that Henry witnessed such a rare and wonderful spectacle.
First of all, the Skrulls didn't spend much time discussing what to do; as soon as they got off the vehicle, they went their separate ways to carry out their own actions.
From their unabashedly adopting the demeanor of local residents, Henry could be certain that the group of fourteen were all Skrulls. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so readily revealed this ability to outsiders.
Then a guy disguised as the neighbor arrived at Maria Rambo's front door. This chubby guy in a baseball cap, using the excuse of taking a child to see Quinjet, attracted the attention of all the adults in the house.
Then someone sneaked in through the back door and transformed into... the image of Henry and Kitty, one human and one tiger, attracted the daring little girl Monica Rambeau Rambo.
Perhaps the idea of touching the Tiger had been lingering in the girl's mind, so when the Skrull version of Henry approached and didn't stop her, she boldly went up to the Tiger and was immediately tackled to the ground...
Upon seeing this, the original Henry had only one thought, "Wow, they're determined to smear me, just how deep is the feud between Krypton and Skrulls?"
Of course, the adults in the family wouldn't just stand by and watch something like this happen. And to ensure others could see it clearly, the person on Hupu wasn't acting from a blind spot; everyone could see it simply by turning around.
Unsurprisingly, Vers unleashed Photon Blast sent the Tiger that had pounced on Monica Rambeau Rambo flying.
Nick Fury turned his gun on the Skrull version of Henry; Barbara, like him, abandoned her original target, the fat man at the door, who was looking at Henry. However, she didn't point her gun at him, but only verbally questioned him.
The other eleven Skrulls dispersed and searched for Henry's whereabouts.
It's strange that, despite being a high-tech civilization, they don't carry much advanced technology. Is it to facilitate the use of their racial talents, allowing them to disguise themselves as others at any time, so they can't even afford to carry a laser gun?
Anyway, this group of Skrulls were just disguised as townspeople, searching for the man and tiger with their naked eyes.
Inside the house, the Skrull version of Henry, who had unleashed the tiger and attacked people, did not explain his actions. He simply went to the Tiger that had been blasted away and looked at his companion's injuries.
The only sound in the room was Monica Rambeau's sobbing as she was comforted by her mother. The fact that she wasn't wailing was already an unusually strong reaction for the girl. But the helpless fear of being pounced on by Tiger is something that will stay with her for a lifetime.
Maria Rambo angrily retorted, "I don't know where you're from, but I allowed you into my home, and that's no excuse for you to hurt my family!"
Nick Fury, though suspicious, still pointed his gun at the man he'd only met that day. "Henry, whatever you want to do, control your pet. Don't think a 9mm pistol can't kill Tiger."
Even Barbara was puzzled and said, "Henry, what are you doing? How could you let Kitty hurt someone, especially a child?"
Monica Rambeau Rambo has a bite mark on her arm, obviously from the Skrull version of Kitty. It's bloody and still bleeding.
Although Vers didn't say anything, her glowing fists said it all. If the person in front of her made any sudden move, this time it wouldn't just be blasting them away, it would be punching them through!
"What If...? I said that wasn't me, would you believe me?"